Military State Tranchinel
Many decades ago, the Marshal of the time assassinated the king, ending the royal bloodline, and declared himself the “Emperor Marshal,” assuming the position of head of state. He focused heavily on strengthening the military, surrounding himself with loyal subordinates, imprisoning dissenters, and sentencing rebels to death on charges of treason. Even those who left the prisons alive were subjected to harsh punishments.
Tranchinel, eyeing the reclamation of the Fen Principality—territory that originally belonged to it—continued to plot relentlessly but was met with constant resistance. The current third-generation Emperor Marshal devised a drastic measure: summoning the King of Hell.
Using a king in war is prohibited by the summoning conventions.
However, refusing the order on those grounds would not spare anyone from a death sentence. Summoners continued their experiments, praying for failure.
One day, one of the nation’s top summoners succeeded in summoning a duke from hell. But after his head was swiftly cut off, the terrified others could only watch as the duke departed the country.
Though one might have expected the Emperor Marshal to give up, he instead grew emboldened by the success of summoning a duke, declaring confidently that the next attempt would summon a king.
Those who tried to appeal to the danger and call for the experiments to stop were executed, and the summoning research facility became engulfed in terror. No one dared to speak, and the researchers were forced to continue their summoning studies and experiments in silence.
(Following this section, the perspective shifts to Iriya .)
Today, I’ll be making Nectar.
As usual, the bespectacled Guildmaster of the Commerce Guild and Ekvar are here to observe.
And this time, we have a very special guest: His Majesty Lucifer, the King of Hell…!! Failure is absolutely not an option.
I’ve only told the Guildmaster that he’s “from Hell.”
“Opst, Moryu, Gaokerena, Epialtion. These are the ingredients for Nectar. We’ll clean these thoroughly, remove unnecessary stems and Gaokerena shells, and crush them finely. Then, we’ll evenly mix in the powdered Reinzthuftyeast that we bought.”
“Hm, I see.”
As I explained the process while working, the Guildmaster nodded along.
“Next, we’ll place the mixture into a special container and let it ferment for two weeks.”
I packed the mixture tightly into the container, sealed it well, and stored it on the shelf I had prepared for preservation. The shelf already had containers from earlier batches, and I took one out.
“Here’s one that’s been fermenting for two weeks. I had it ready in advance!”
When I presented it, Ekvar exclaimed, “Oh!” with excitement. That reaction seemed a bit staged, though.
Now comes the finishing process.
The mixture is distilled, turning it into vapor and then condensing it back into liquid. At this point, I cast the spell.
“Under the sky where stars align, the river resonates with light upon our meeting. Fulfill this vessel with what nourishes body and soul. All things form a circle; beginnings and endings are one. All originates from the first and returns to the first. Even what is lacking shall be made whole.”
I waited for the magic to settle into the liquid, then added a squeeze of lemon. And with that, it was complete!
The leftover residue after distillation can be used as fertilizer. The Guildmaster, having expressed interest, was happy to take it off my hands.
“Wow, I got to see the entire process of making one of the four great recovery items! Thank you so much!!”
The Guildmaster held both of my hands in excitement.
In the kingdom of Chenkaslar, the production of magical items lags behind other countries. It seems there isn’t a single person capable of making all four recovery items by themselves.
Apparently, even for Elixirs, only a few people in the royal palace can create them, and there’s not even one person per town capable of such crafting.
“Iriya , you’re more valuable than you realize. In most towns, you’d hardly find anyone who can make even one of these, let alone all four, unless you’re in a major city.”
Ekvar explained with a sigh, as if I’d been oblivious.
No way! But Sebirino and the lab director could make all of them… Then again, they’re top-class. I guess I’ve been using the people I grew up around as my standard.
I’ll be more mindful from now on.
I poured the finished Nectar into bottles. I also bottled ten completed Soma potions, which had matured over the past month. I usually make ten of each at a time.
As part of my usual routine, I handed two of each to the Guildmaster.
“Nectar will taste better with more aging. Soma is sweet,” I said.
“Wait… Iriya , are you paying attention to the flavor, too?”
“Well, to some extent—people have to drink it, after all.”
Even if it’s a recovery potion, drinking something that tastes awful seems unpleasant.
“I can’t… I don’t understand the mind of a genius.”
“What can I say…? You’re really reliable, Iriya .”
For some reason, both of them looked at me with exasperated expressions.
“Impressive, you’re quite skilled, human girl.”
“Thank you very much, Lord Lucifer.”
Yes! I was praised.
After checking the items, Lucifer turned his gaze to the Guildmaster, who was happily holding the bottles.
“They say you are the head of the commercial guild. There’s something I desire—can you procure it for me?”
“Y-Yes, depending on the item, I can arrange it through our registered merchants.”
The Guildmaster seemed understandably nervous; his body froze for a moment.
“I want flowers to adorn my garden, ones where the same species can display a variety of colors. Can you find something suitable?”
“Um… let’s see. At this time of year, dahlias would be a good choice. They come in many varieties, are vibrant, and the tall, double-flowered Emperor Dahlia is especially striking.”
Adjusting his glasses with his middle finger, the Guildmaster answered while deep in thought, seemingly considering additional options. But Lucifer nodded in satisfaction.
“Emperor Dahlia. That sounds splendid. I must present it to His Majesty, the Emperor. Then, I’ll have you arrange what you just mentioned. Details will be left to Peor. Human girl, prepare for a summoning later.”
“Understood.”
“…His… Majesty… the Emperor…”
Of course, if that word comes up in Hell, it’s pretty much guaranteed the person in question is either a king or a duke, right?
“Would a thousand be enough to enjoy?”
“A thousand…”
“Fufu, I’m looking forward to it.”
Yeah, no kidding! A garden on that scale is beyond normal—it’s like a tourist destination.
The Guildmaster hurried off to make the arrangements, and since he was carrying high-grade recovery items, Ekvar accompanied him as a guard just in case.
After cleaning up the underground workshop and climbing the stairs, I found Sebirino , who had returned from the royal castle in Chenkaslar, brewing herbal tea for Lucifer, who had already gone ahead to the first floor.
“Master, you’re here. Would you like some as well?”
“Thank you, I’ll have some. And good work, Sebirino .”
Sebirino and Ekvar had been handling the aftermath of an incident where the Archmage summoned a demon and obliterated a castle on the outskirts of Chenkaslar Kingdom.
For some reason, both of them come back to my house every day, even though staying at an inn in the capital would be more convenient.
As an apology, we handed over items, and after negotiations, it was decided that Sebirino would provide instruction in magic and magical item creation as a settlement. Since the castle wasn’t in use, no monetary compensation was required.
In addition, we offered extra high-grade mana potions and healing salves, along with one enchanted item.
Sebirino had been heading to the royal castle for magic instruction yesterday and today.
After brewing me a cup of herbal tea, Sebirino stood quietly behind the sofa.
Lucifer and I sat across from each other on the sofa.
In Egdoarm, mages do not sit with their masters without permission, but the distance felt a bit lonely. It’s hard to find the right timing to invite him to sit without sounding pompous.
As I nervously sipped my tea, Lucifer elegantly lifted his cup, holding the handle with his right hand while his left hand supported the saucer beneath it.
After one or two sips, he gently placed the cup back on the table. The pale pink herbal tea, now half gone, rippled slightly in the cup.
“So, human girl. Let’s have a quiz. Do you know of a place where magic can be freely used?”
Lucifer proposed this suddenly. As I pondered, wondering what he was planning, my eyes met Sebirino ’s.
He was heading to the capital. Speaking of the capital!
“I believe the Duke’s magical experiment facility could be borrowed.”
That place is built to be highly secure, so it’s perfect, right?
…But seriously, this “quiz” sounds dangerous. Why would he need a magical experiment facility?
“Then, I shall go ahead and make arrangements. It’s already evening, so would tomorrow suffice?”
“That sounds good. Please handle it.”
“Understood.”
Bowing his head, Sebirino immediately left to make the necessary contacts. Even with Lucifer, he acts like a subordinate. Is that why Lucifer likes him?
“I’ll summon the subject for the quiz myself.”
Summoning the “subject”? This just keeps sounding more ominous.
Tomorrow’s quiz will definitely not be ordinary. But there’s no one in this world capable of stopping him…!
