Today, we finally leave this inn.
Alesia and Kiara have been staying at this inn for a long time, so I’ve been able to see them whenever I wanted. I’ll miss them a little.
As I was greeting the innkeeper at the front desk, a middle-aged cleaning lady who was cleaning the room we had just vacated came running over in a panic.
“Ah, um, the man’s room…! What should we do?!”
She seemed quite flustered, and when we all went to the room that Belial had been staying in, which was at the back of the second floor, we saw that the room had been drastically changed!
The inn was supposed to be quite simple, yet now there was a round table with luxurious carvings on the legs, smart and sophisticated chairs, beautiful paintings, and decorations. The flower-patterned tablecloth had jewels sewn into the hem, reflecting the light, and there was even a high-class tea set with an afternoon tea stand. It’s unfair.
The bed was larger and had fluffy bedding, with a flashy embroidered cover. There were also several cushions. The floor was covered with a red carpet, and the windows had lace curtains and heavy blackout drapes. Even the dresser was different—its handles looked expensive…
Wow… What is this extravagant makeover? Expensive items were everywhere. I should have noticed, though…
I had been called to bring my things to my subordinates, but I never expected that the bed and dresser would be replaced without my knowledge.
By the way, we had made sure not to let anyone clean the room during our stay, so no one had noticed until now. I had some medicines stored there as well.
“What… should we do…?”
When I turned around with a half-smile, the innkeeper was also standing there with her mouth wide open.
“Can we not just leave it like this?”
“It would be troublesome! We need to return it to its original state.”
So that’s why they never complained about the inn. He had been doing whatever he wanted…
“Can… can we leave it like this?”
The innkeeper was giving Belial a heated gaze. Huh?
“Of course. It is unnecessary to me, so if it must be disposed of, then I will do so.”
“No!! If possible, could we leave it like this… could you leave it like this?!”
Instead of getting angry, they seemed pleased. I was a little relieved.
It seems this room was kept as-is and became a popular room for women, eventually being called “The Devil’s Room,” and reservations for it flooded in because it was so beautiful.
Now, moving on to our new house, the first thing I did was prepare elixirs!
After submitting my relocation notice at the Commerce Guild and promising the Guild Master that I would show him how to make elixirs, I arrived at my new home with him.
It seems he didn’t expect us to start so soon and gave a wry smile. It’s a bit lonely not having any elixirs to work with.
In the workshop in the basement, the first thing I did was burn frankincense in each corner.
Then, I purified the water carefully as usual.
“Be gone, evil things. In the grace of all things. Water descended from the heavens, and to the heavens it shall return. Eternal, the workings of Ouroboros. Within you is the great sky, and with formless arms, you shall embrace it. Water, let there be separation from water.”
The water shone with a silver luster—purification complete.
The Guild Master seemed surprised, as he wasn’t familiar with the purification technique. I wonder if it’s not very famous?
This process increases the success rate of the refinement and enhances the effects of the elixir.
Next, I added the materials and heated them.
Mercurialis, Ambrosia, Iron Grass, Pejuta Grass, and powder from a stone called Eben Ezel. These were the materials I would use first.
I added them to a large amount of water and heated it for two hours.
Then, I added Dragon Tias from the Firedrake. Normally, a higher-level dragon would be better, but it’s not something you can easily obtain.
I used magic to grind it above the cauldron.
“O solid thing, untie your knot. My claws shall be the key to tear it asunder, and before time and space, all shall become nothing. Like dust scattering in the wind, like sand held by the sea.”
I stirred and heated it while chanting the first of the Four Elemental incantations.
This incantation is the key to making elixirs, and nations continue to research it to this day to create better elixirs.
“Fire, thrive as fire. Wind, rest as wind. Water, flow as water. Earth, solidify as earth.”
In response to the chant, the water began to spin on its own.
Steam rose toward the ceiling.
“Red, you are the roaring bird. Green, you are the fierce serpent. Blue, you are the swirling fish. Yellow, you are the sleeping lion. Rest in the high atmosphere.”
I continued to heat it for another three hours while monitoring the balance of the Four Elements.
Once the balance was achieved, I stopped the heat and let it settle for about two hours.
If the balance were to break, it would return to water, and the process would fail.
During these two hours, I just kept an eye on it.
“So, in the meantime, I’ll prepare the Soma!”
As I started preparing the ingredients, the Guild Master looked surprised, and Belial was laughing.
“Is it okay!? Elixirs are difficult medicines, aren’t they?”
“These two hours aren’t an issue, Soma can be prepared in the meantime.”
The most important and hardest-to-find ingredient for Soma is the Soma tree sap.
I added the purified water, milk, Moon Grass, and Dalba Grass and simmered it for an hour.
During that time, I continued to chant.
“Like a spring welling up, may joy come and knock upon my door. O stars invited to the feast, the full moon reflects in the mirror of the clouds from the horizon. Bring forth the honeyed nectar of heaven. I offer my prayer, desiring the face of the white moon to shine upon me, and I capture its brilliance in my cup.”
After about an hour, the preparation for the Soma was finished. I crushed it into large pieces, cleaned the transparent Dragon Tears thoroughly, and since I had golden apples this time, I cut them up and added them to the mixture, leaving it in a barrel to ferment for a month. And that’s it!
“Soma is actually pretty simple,” I said, closing the barrel.
“…Don’t be deceived. The magic to handle the moon, which normally aligns with the dark element, must be done with light magic. It can’t be done with regular magical control,” the Guild Master warned.
“Heh… You call that simple?”
After taking a sip of water and having a light snack, I resumed working on the Elixir.
I placed the mixture back on the fire and infused it with holy magic.
After about three hours of simmering, I added additional herbs and honey, then, on the fifteenth hour, I recited the second Four Elemental spell.
This time, the first part was the same, but the latter part changed.
“Flame, rise up! Air, overflow! Snowmelt, whisper! Earth, be rugged. By the law of the Four Elements, perform this great work.”
I made sure the Four Elements blended properly, then after about eighteen hours, I cooled the mixture and transferred it to bottles for the Elixir.
For each one, I prepared a magic circle beneath it, drawing a pentagram, and poured the Elixir into each bottle through a filter.
Finally, I cast the last spell to solidify it.
Once that was done, I just needed to wait for about six more hours.
“On the earth, I gaze upon the sky; in the sky, I gaze upon the earth. Connecting them is the rainbow, and the glory shines as the six stars form two triangles, creating a hexagram. The crimson liquid, the Nine Heavens lie within you.”
“Oooh, is it done!?” The Guild Master had really stayed to the end. He was quite excited seeing the finished Elixir before him.
“Well, yes, but it’s not guaranteed that it’s all perfect. We need to check,” I said.
I picked up each of the ten bottles one by one, shaking them to check the magic flow.
The Elixir glowed a beautiful red.
“Well… I failed two bottles this time. But that’s still pretty good,” I said.
“Only two? Then these eight are… finished Elixirs!” The Guild Master was happier than I was. He seemed to want to touch them, his hands reaching out like they were drawn to the Elixirs.
“Would you like to take two as supplies? I don’t even know where to sell them,” I suggested.
“Huh? What? Elixirs?? That seems rather… bold…” The Guild Master trembled, but his face clearly showed he wanted them.
“Right! What if I take them as payment for the house!?!” he suggested eagerly.
“For the house? I couldn’t possibly…,” I replied, surprised.
“Iriya , don’t you know the value of Elixirs!? If you auction them off, one could be worth enough to buy a house!” The Guild Master was incredibly excited.
“…Really!? One could be worth that much… even though I made it in a day!?”
“Normally, it wouldn’t be so successful, but if you have the money and want to heal your injuries, you’d pay anything for it, wouldn’t you?” he explained.
“Ah, I see. The demand makes the price skyrocket,” I muttered. I had thought collecting the materials wasn’t easy either, but the price was still very high! The average person probably couldn’t afford it. I even wondered what kind of auction it would be.
Under the Guild Master’s pressure, the Elixirs ended up being used as payment for the house’s balance. The initial payment had already been made, so this covered the remaining amount. Once the Soma was ready, I planned to give two bottles as well.
I also explained that unlike high potions, Elixirs don’t have a feeling of overflowing magical energy. This is because the Four Elements are firmly established, and pure magic blends into the mixture, so it’s not released. People might mistake this for a fake, but I clarified that it’s the opposite.
I was satisfied with my work, and now I could finally rest!
Still, Elixirs are expensive…
These six bottles… If I’m not careful, thieves might target them. I better be cautious.
