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IT had been four years since I ran into Marcus and his girls near their family inn.
It’d been a busy time with many expeditions. The number of monsters was on a stark upswing. For the first time, countries aside from De Marl were getting concerned.
It was around that time my cousin, Lysteinn, lost his father in the war and was adopted by my family. My aunt, who was in poor health, also passed away around that time.
Lysteinn was seventeen. In De Marl, children come of age at eighteen. Him still being a minor meant it was valid for us to adopt him. We were his last remaining relatives—his mother’s bloodline having died out during the war.
Influenced by my third brother and I, Lysteinn became engrossed in alchemy. He was especially curious about my alchemical weapons and acted like he was my apprentice…which I didn’t mind.
He later joined the Ebony Knights and tried to become independent…so I began to wonder if he could succeed me as captain once I’d retired. Other members of the Ebony Knights were putting in a lot of effort and dedication, sure. But they lacked Lysteinn’s tenacity.
In having Lysteinn act as my apprentice and assistant, I came to learn the importance of fostering the next generation.
It was during that time Lys, his colleagues, and two other dependable knights were sent on a mission to defeat a gigantic serpent monster that’d appeared on the highway. That monster, a venomous viper monster that made its territory in that area, was named Uroboros.
It was the same monster I’d faced when I met Tinaris. It’d grown so much in the years since that it’d been given a name. Since there was no way of defeating monsters, specimens that attacked multiple people became known and given names.
Thus, Lys and I lay in wait to capture Uroboros and bury it in the earth. It’d also serve as a research specimen for ways to defeat monsters. But, of course, such research would be incredibly dangerous. Just cutting a monster open would make Camilla overflow from the wound, turning everyone in the area into monsters. I still thought it could work—since slashing a monster didn’t make any Camilla spill out—but everyone else was opposed.
It made sense, since the experiments weren’t held in combat conditions. If done indoors, in a closed space, Camilla could spread out with no one noticing. Edesa Kura was researching monsters, after all.
For the time being, we were to use iron threads laced with mana that’d render the monster immobile, then stuff it into a pit, which would then be buried. Obviously, this didn’t actually fix the problem. But it did buy us some time.
Along the way, we ran into an unusual party of demi-humans, whom we escorted to the Rofola Lodge. There, I found out that Tinaris had apparently created a Supreme Tonic. Marcus and I argued over how to use it, with him insisting I use it to restore my face.
I wasn’t sure why he was so stubborn about this. What’d happened to my face was my fault. I’d given up on ever grasping a woman’s happiness. I felt restoring Marcus’ lost arm was more important and useful than fixing my face. He had two daughters to hug with that arm, after all. Nakona had grown very strong, of course. But with the monsters now much stronger and larger, Marcus needed his arm back to fight, protect his girls, and secure his inn, where his guests could stay safe.
I went about the mission with such gloomy thoughts in mind. Then we saw giant centipedes and worms attack the Lodge. At first. We’d thought it was the Uroboros. But they were larger than the monsters we’d seen before, and we couldn’t leave them unattended. Thankfully, Nakona and the demi-human party were able to handle the two monsters, with Marcus serving as a capable commander.
I thought we could beat the monsters this way and drive them away—and that’s when it happened. I wasn’t being careless—when I saw Tinaris being attacked, my body just moved. I was a knight, after all, and defending lives was my duty. I never thought my job was to slay people but rather to keep them safe.
Still, I’d never expected that centipede to spew out a glob of paralyzing toxin. Ten feet large, it knocked me down with its sheer mass, seeping into my body even through the armor.
The effect was instant. My entire body, my internal organs, even my breathing…it all went numb. I lost consciousness. Yet, for some reason, my hearing faintly lingered on…
Eventually, I realized I was being forced to drink something and I found the strength to swallow. The pain and numbness melted away. My bones, broken from the impact of the blow, were healed. So were all my old wounds. Even my ravaged face…it was all cured.
She used it… Tinaris actually used the Supreme Tonic… They beat the monster and she used it on me…
We headed back to the inn to discuss what to do next. Every time we passed by any kind of reflective surface, I glanced at it, confirming that yes, my face was fixed. Every scar was gone, and my skin was flawless. So this is the power of the Supreme Tonic!
I pursed my lips. It’s not that I was unhappy. Yet, as an alchemist, this felt like a crushing defeat. I knew I couldn’t hope to compete with an alchemical apothecary in her own field. And of course, I knew that even though I was a state alchemist, there were those all over the world better than me.
Why am I so shocked, then? Did I let my success go to my head…?
No… If that’s the case, I just have to keep improving! Knowing there’s always a higher summit you can aim for is part of what makes life worth living. For now, I should just be grateful for the Supreme Tonic and the girl who made it.
Tinaris Ril… You saved my life…