Chapter 9
“So, I made just one bottle. I wanted to try it out when I had some free time. But…”
He sighed deeply and glanced around the messy surroundings.
“I took a short nap, and now it’s gone.”
“Ah…”
“Well, it probably rolled somewhere. Maybe under a bookshelf or something.”
Ansen finished speaking and began rummaging through a nearby pile of books. Then he glanced at me and said,
“Come to think of it, Princess, you seem to have some free time right now.”
“…….”
“Would you like to help me look? I’ve been at it for days, and now I even see the potion in my dreams.”
I stared at him, dumbfounded.
He dares to make me help him? The daughter of the house?
But he calmly added,
“Of course, if we find it, I’ll let you try it. It probably has an incredible effect on manifestation powers…”
He paused, flinching slightly.
“Ah. Princess Cecilia, you’re not a Manifestor, right? Sorry, I didn’t mean to tease you—I just confused you with your fearsome father for a moment.”
“I’m not Cecilia, I’m Selenia.”
“……Whatever. Oh, don’t worry about confusing it with another potion. Just in case, I put a huge label that says ‘DEATH IF FULLY CONSUMED.’ You might find it if you check over there…”
He gestured behind me, then started looking under another bookshelf.
I let out a small sigh and shook my head.
What’s the point of searching? It won’t show up anyway.
Someone must have already found Ansen’s potion that had been rolling around the library a few days ago and delivered it to Selenia.
But who…?
Who had handed her the potion that caused her to take action?
I made a contemplative “hmm” sound, then finally spoke to the coughing, dust-covered Ansen.
“Uh, Ansen… maybe you should just give up.”
He turned to look at me, a puzzled expression on his face.
“I have a good instinct, and I strongly feel you won’t find that potion.”
Because that potion is already in my stomach…
No, by now it would have already digested. Then a thought suddenly struck me.
Wait. If it’s Ansen, doesn’t he know why I collapsed after drinking the God’s Tears?
I leapt up and strode toward him. He, lying on the floor, flinched and quickly got to his feet.
“Ansen! I suddenly have a question!”
“…Alright, but step back and say it. You don’t seem to realize how terrifying your expression is right now.”
“Listen carefully! What happens if someone who isn’t a Manifestor drinks the potion?”
“…Nothing would happen, of course. You know, Princess, Manifestors’ bodies are filled with mana specialized for manifestation powers.”
I didn’t fully understand, but I nodded.
“The potion I made reacts specifically to that mana. So for non-Manifestors, it’s just… an extremely expensive liquid, that’s all.”
“See? That’s what I thought!”
“Yes… exactly.”
Ansen looked at me as if I were ridiculous. I paused for a moment, then continued with shining eyes.
“Then what if a non-Manifestor drank it and collapsed?”
Ansen furrowed his brow.
“What are you talking about now?”
“No, let’s just assume. A non-Manifestor drinks it and collapses. But two or three hours later, they wake up perfectly fine! Why would that happen?”
Ansen stared at me with wide eyes, then reluctantly asked,
“…How much did they drink?”
“I drank the whole bottle, assuming 100% concentration!”
I held up my finger to roughly show the size of the bottle. Ansen’s eyes narrowed.
After thinking for a moment, he finally answered,
“Well… they certainly weren’t human. Unless they’re some kind of mutant.”
I fell silent, stunned.
“…Mutant? W-Why do you think they weren’t human?”
“Isn’t it obvious? A normal person would survive no matter how much they drank because their body has no mana to react with the potion.”
I nodded slowly.
“But that person didn’t survive intact. They collapsed after drinking it.”
As if telling me to think carefully, he tapped his finger on his head.
“Then at least we can say they had mana flowing through their body that reacted with the potion, right?”
He was correct, but something felt off. It didn’t quite add up.
A person with mana flowing in their body is a Manifestor.
But I—Selenia—was not a Manifestor.
I had no powers. Yet I collapsed after drinking the God’s Tears.
“No way…”
I muttered, my voice trembling slightly.
Could it be… that I’m actually a Manifestor…?
I looked at Ansen with a slight glimmer of hope. He scratched his head lazily and said,
“That would be a bit too vague to say for sure.”
“Why?”
“Well, if that person were a real Manifestor, they would have died before finishing the entire bottle. Not just collapsing and waking up a few hours later.”
“….”
“I told you earlier, too much is dangerous. Their mana would have overloaded, they’d vomit blood and die.”
I shut my mouth, imagining the horrific scene. Ansen continued murmuring.
“So it’s strange. Not a normal person, not a Manifestor either. What is that? It must be a mutant.”
“….”
“…Wait. Maybe it’s some kind of magical creature or monster. Their mana flows differently…”
I glared at Ansen, but he seemed excited.
“This is getting interesting. At first, I thought it was ridiculous, but researching it might not be a bad idea.”
He spun around, picked up some books scattered on the floor, and said with a livelier expression,
“Princess, your mind works faster than I thought. To come up with such an interesting theory so quickly, honestly, I’m a bit impressed.”
I snorted silently. He was still grinning.
“Honestly, I’ve fallen behind in my research because I lost that cursed bottle.”
I instinctively stepped back, sensing what he was about to say. This felt like…
Like when a subordinate tries to dump their work on you.
I shook my head frantically without listening further. But he had already taken a step closer.
“So, about that…”
Just as he was about to say something with a sly smile, the library door burst open.
“Princess! You’ve been waiting long, haven’t you?”
Anna stood at the door, holding a silver tray with cake and sherbet.
“…Well, suddenly he just jumped out from behind me! Is it even normal to eat and sleep in the study?”
I exclaimed in disbelief. Anna let out a small laugh.
“The library is almost always empty. Maybe he didn’t expect you to come.”
I reluctantly nodded and put down my fork.
“I see… So not many people use the library?”
“That’s right. The Master usually uses the private study… though sometimes visitors from outside do.”
“I see.”
I nodded absentmindedly and finished the cake in my mouth.
Suddenly, I remembered Ansen’s tired face.
…Really? He thinks I’m a mutant?
The conversation still annoyed me.
No matter what, calling a person a monster or a mutant…
I let out a short laugh. Sucking in the refreshing orange-flavored sherbet, I murmured quietly,
“Unbelievable…”
Anna, who had been cleaning, looked at me again.
“Did something happen in the library with Sir Ansen?”
“Sir Ansen?”
“Oh, he’s not on the frontlines, but he’s still part of the knights. The Master gave him a title.”
“That feeble-looking person is a knight?”
Anna giggled, “Yeah, Sir Ansen’s image is a bit like that, right?”
I silently took another bite of cake. A piece was almost gone. Anna kept chatting.
“He’s a bit unusual, but his abilities are impressive, even though he isn’t noble.”
I nodded, remembering how Ansen created that massive pillar of fire.
“Yes. He really seems to use powerful manifestation abilities.”
Anna widened her eyes.
“Oh, and there’s also his abilities. I just meant to say he’s impressive in the field of alchemy.”
Right. Ansen also knew how to make and combine potions. I asked,
“Is Ansen famous for making potions?”
“Hmm, to be precise, he became famous after coming here.”
Curiosity surged, and I put down my fork. Anna smiled, clearly amused, and continued.
“Sir Ansen was brought to the Master’s estate a few years ago during a visit to a conflict area. I heard he was taken from a mercenary group…”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. He used to make healing potions in the mercenary group. The Master thought he was skilled, so he brought him here. But…”
“But?”
“On the way back, he was attacked by a large group of very aggressive monsters. There were quite a few of them.”
I swallowed, intrigued.
“Luckily, the monsters were dealt with quickly. The Master and other knights were fine. But at that moment, you remembered Sir Ansen, who had been following from the rear. And it makes sense, because he…”
Anna trailed off, letting me finish the thought.
“Looked so feeble that even one hit could have taken him down.”
“Exactly! So the Master went to the back to check if Sir Ansen was alright, but…”
“But?”
