◆ The Scars of Hellfire
I bid farewell to the employees of Puerta Research Center. I was grateful that they treated me so well, but it was time for us to head to Holy City Altstadt.
Henri and Ms. Eliza also saw us off. The young boy hadn’t given up on his endeavor to become Mr. Julius’s apprentice.
“I’ll visit you when we return to Astria!” Henri had called.
Ms. Eliza had recovered enough to walk on her own. She gave us a deep bow and stated, “I won’t run anymore. I promise to atone for my sins.”
Mr. Coldman had also regained consciousness. Perhaps due to the aftereffects of being turned into a monster, he’d lost a large chunk of his memories and was rather confused by his situation. He didn’t even recognize Ms. Eliza or Henri.
They planned on returning to Astria once things had settled for them. They vowed to atone for their sins—while I knew Mr. Julius would be furious at me, I decided to consult Cyril about their punishment. I wanted a part-time shop girl to sell my wares, and with the return of Ms. Natalia, I was terrified that Chloe’s Alchemy Shop would revert to the filthy mess that was on full display before I cleaned it up. I also strongly felt like Ms. Natalia couldn’t be left alone. She was shockingly bad at taking care of herself. In fact, she had zero life skills to the point where I couldn’t imagine her living alone.
When I had lived with her, I did all the cooking, laundry, and cleaning; I had to wake her up and persistently invite her to meals, or she’d never do anything of her own accord. While I used to be able to take care of her, I currently had my hands full with Mr. Julius and needed further assistance to look after my master. I’d finally managed to make my alchemy shop look neat and tidy; Ms. Eliza and Henri were essential to maintaining the place.
Mr. Roge had told me in the past that community service was one of the penalties dished out to mercenaries and knights. That was exactly what I was hoping they’d get.
“I heard some rare liquor is being served at the banquet. I guess I’ll reluctantly go,” Ms. Natalia had said atop one of the guest beds in Puerta. She was rolled up into a blanket ball like a bagworm.
She claimed that she was tired from doing things she wasn’t used to, had worked a century’s worth of good deeds, and had given back to the world. She wasn’t planning on doing much for a while. She had saved me so many times and I couldn’t thank her enough.
When I voiced my gratitude, she replied, “Don’t worry about it. You’re my apprentice, and I saw you in a pinch. It’s only natural that I appear to save you.”
I asked her how she knew that I was fighting Mephisto, but she nonchalantly waved a hand from inside of her blankets. “Just a coincidence,” she’d claimed.
I felt like she was brushing me off, but if she wasn’t willing to talk, it was probably something that I didn’t need to know.
I hopped on top of Helios with Mr. Julius, and we headed for the place where Emperor Oswald had left scars of his hellfire. They’d never disappear. Prince Faisal had requested to take one last good look before we headed for Altstadt. I was so desperate to survive at the time that the memories weren’t as vivid in my mind, but the fear of those powerful flames had been seared into my brain.
As we approached the still flickering flames, it felt unusually hot. A sea of fire was licking the sands. Luckily, there weren’t any towns or cities near Emperor Oswald’s attack—it was just an empty desert.
Around the flames was a wall of ice made of alchemy, containing the heat within. According to Prince Faisal, several court sorcerers and alchemists were taking turns to keep watch over these walls.
“I’m guessing that Emperor Oswald is human,” I said, gazing down at the flames. “But this power is anything but.”
“Just like Shesif, he probably has a demon of his own,” Mr. Julius replied casually.
When did a demon appear by Oswald’s side? When did this debacle even start? I wondered.
“These flames are made by magic, and they shouldn’t last long,” I explained. “Of course, if the fire burns down a forest or houses, it’ll turn into a natural disaster instead of a magical one and will continue to burn, but there’s no fuel to maintain the flames in this desert.”
“Which means it’s the power of a demon,” Mr. Julius answered.
“Yes, I believe so…”
I’d only sensed Samael during the battle. Oswald was terrifying, but I didn’t feel the presence of a new demon. This could’ve implied that another mysterious demon was trying to eat the Dystiana Empire alive.
“Did Oswald start this war, enticed by a demon?” I wondered.
“Who knows,” Mr. Julius replied. “But he’s always been an ambitious guy. I’m guessing that he started the war of his own accord, but either way, I don’t think he’s done.”
I grabbed hold of Mr. Julius’s sleeve and placed my forehead against his broad back. Every time he talked about Dystiana or Oswald, I felt like he was impossibly far away from me. I wish this whole thing would end on its own, far away from Mr. Julius and me. I couldn’t help but say this prayer.
I wanted to live in Astria as an alchemist and spend my time in peace with Mr. Julius by my side, surrounded by Helios, Lumine, Ms. Natalia, Ms. Roxy, and Mr. Roge. That was enough for me.
“There’s no use thinking about a solution that we can’t provide just yet,” I said, pulling away from him and trying to sound as cheery as possible. “Ms. Natalia taught me so. I’m sorry for sounding so gloomy. What I need to do right now is to take care of this fire.”
“Can you?” Mr. Julius asked.
“Who do you think I am?”
“A genius alchemist and beautiful young maiden,” he supplied.
“Please don’t say that. It makes me laugh when I hear those words coming from you.”
It’s funny to hear him praise me so emotionlessly. Mr. Julius has made me laugh quite a bit these days. After I giggled, I took out an alchemy item from the cloth bag that I kept slung over my shoulder.
“Prince Faisal,” I called out loudly. He and Layla were riding on Ares a short distance away. “I’d like to help extinguish these flames; is that all right?”
He was riding on Ares while hugging Layla from behind. She had rejected his idea of riding politely and ladylike today as well, as she was straddled atop the dragon wearing a skirt. Her pale legs were too bright for my eyes. I feel like Layla should wear bloomers underneath her skirt like I do. Perhaps not wearing any was the sign of a mature fashionista.
“Ice and water magic from Rasheed’s court sorcerers, along with the extinguishers made by our alchemists, didn’t stand a chance against those flames,” Faisal called. “If you can get rid of the fire, I couldn’t be more grateful. Do whatever you like!”
“Okay!” I replied.
In my hand was a red bucket with the word “Extinguisher” written on it. I decided this was a perfect opportunity to show the prince my alchemy. I always proudly explained the effects of my items to Mr. Julius, but today, I had an audience that included Faisal, Layla, and the Rasheed soldiers. Maybe the splendor of my alchemy items will spread throughout Rasheed. If I get clients beyond the borders of my nation, that’d be perfect. I’d make buckets of money!
For that, I’d need Ms. Eliza to work hard. An apron dress seemed like a perfect uniform for her. I grinned upon imagining her greeting customers. She was very cute, and I knew that we’d get more male clients. I felt bad for Henri, but this was all business. I’d need him to keep himself in check even if Ms. Eliza was popular among the men.
“This is a wonderful bucket of my own creation!” I explained loudly with my chest puffed out. “When an ancient sorcerer in Astria went berserk with their magical energy, they made a volcano erupt. Lava spilled out, and forests were burned down with no end in sight. My item extinguished the flames from the lava and cooled it into rock. And that’s how genius alchemist Chloe, the beautiful young maiden, became a hero in her kingdom.”
Prince Faisal, Layla, and the other soldiers clapped their hands in awe upon hearing my mini-speech. Ugh, now I’m embarrassed.
“If it makes you embarrassed, there’s no need to explain,” Mr. Julius said, glancing at my reddening face.
Cut me some slack. This is how I spent the past three years of my life. Maybe I can find some sort of truth beyond this embarrassment.
“Every family has one of my buckets,” I added. “It was very useful in extinguishing the flames within Astria’s royal capital. I’m not sure if it can fight against Oswald’s fire, but it’s worth a shot!”
And so, I threw my bucket into the fire. I wasn’t sure if just one was enough, so I grabbed all the buckets I could from my infinite bag and tossed them into the flames.
“Extinguishing powder, pour out from the bucket! Extinguish the dangerous flames!” I chanted.
A transparent sludge seeped out from the buckets that I threw into the fire, spreading out to envelop the flames as though to put a lid over the fiery disaster below. The liquid had the power to put out the blaze and suppress magic. Though the fire had naturally spread of its own accord, it still had some magic in it and proved difficult to extinguish, allowing it to spread easily.
White smoke billowed in the air, along with loud sizzling sounds as the flames grew smaller and smaller. It didn’t take long for it to completely disappear from within the wall of ice, leaving behind only the burned sands of the desert.
The soldiers gave me a thunderous round of applause, which I responded to by waving back. Prince Faisal and Layla also looked amazed as they showered me with praise. I don’t hold a candle to Ms. Natalia, but I guess my alchemy is nothing to sneeze at.
“These extinguishing buckets made by yours truly, the genius alchemist and young beautiful maiden, are sold for 15,000 gold each! My shop is in the royal capital of Astria, so if you’re ever interested, please drop by!” I said, never forgetting my spirit as a merchant.
Yep, no notes here! I did good!
“To think Oswald’s fire lost to your odd-looking items,” Mr. Julius said.
“What?” I protested. “Aren’t they cute? And they’re easy to spot! This is essential during emergencies! It’s best to have an item that stands out and seems best fit for its role!”
“Looking at you makes the strength leave my body.”
“That’s a good thing,” I chirped.
Mr. Julius sighed. He sounded exasperated, but I sensed a hint of joy in his voice.