NOVEL NEXT Chapter 128
“The Smell!”
“The roses smell wonderful, but… this strong of a scent is overwhelming.”
Wearing a simple, disposable cloth mask over my mouth, I set up a basic potion-making workshop in one of the rooms of my residence in the capital. Unlike the large-scale equipment on Earth, here, it was more like a science experiment, filled with apparatus fit for simple potion-making under Eurua’s guidance, as she had a fair amount of knowledge on the subject.
“Just getting close to the liquid makes my skin tingle… who would have thought the plants would be this activated by the diffusion of Allen-sama’s mana…”
“Even with my eyes, I can’t quite grasp what’s happening.”
As part of this experiment, Eurua, Aria, and I each nurtured our own magic roses, infusing them with dispersed mana as they grew. Although the amount and frequency of mana dispersion varied by time, the total mana expended by each of us was almost identical. Yet, the results were dramatically different.
“I wonder what makes mine different? Even Saioji couldn’t make it work.”
Only my roses grew to the level of what could be called a “magic rose.” Aria and Eurua’s roses, despite receiving the same amount of mana, simply bloomed as ordinary, beautiful roses. The same went for the batch I’d previously grown with Saioji’s help. According to her, no matter how much mana she poured in, it felt as if it was leaking away, like a container with a hole in it.
“Perhaps Allen-sama’s unique magic affinity plays a role here? That mysterious spirit remains an enigma, but it might be close in nature to the Spirit Romelza, which deals with life and plants. There’s a chance it relates to magic governing life or plants.”
Eurua, with her extensive knowledge of magic, offered her perspective on the peculiar properties of my mana.
“Magic that pertains to life and plants…”
According to Saioji, people who are transported (or reincarnated) to this world seem to be blessed, bearing unique magic aptitudes befitting the term “chosen.” For example, Saioji, the leader of the Akatsuki Brigade, has an aptitude for the minor special magic of “gravity magic,” and possesses a blessing referred to secretly as “the Black.”
Another acquaintance of mine, Kris Ileisa Cainriese—formerly Sakakibara—has an aptitude for the lower-tier special magic of ice, though their blessing remains unknown.
As for me, I have the “Otherworld Travel” blessing, and Eurua believes I might have an unknown magical aptitude for life or plants…
“…Do elves ever have blessings?”
According to Saioji, who knows more about transmigrators and reincarnated individuals than I do, those who are transported (or reincarnated) tend to possess both special magic aptitude and blessings. However, it’s important to note that having a blessing doesn’t automatically make someone a transported or reincarnated individual—though the likelihood is high, it’s not an absolute.
All this information comes from Saioji’s research across the Cainriese territory. Curious about how elves handle those with blessings, I decided to ask Eurua directly.
“People with blessings are quite rare… perhaps even rarer than sages.”
“Even high elves don’t possess them. Though my eyes and hair are special, they aren’t blessings.”
Aria’s shining hair, imbued with rainbow-colored magic, and her unique “Heavenly Eyes” are exceedingly rare and special, but she insists they are different from blessings. According to her, such traits appear due to unique lineage or constitution, whereas blessings manifest independently of bloodlines or innate talent, representing a supernatural ability.
“The most well-known blessing among elves is said to be the ‘Spirit Command’ of Sage Albarn.”
“Spirit Command?”
“Yes, I hear it’s the blessing to command lesser monsters like goblins and orcs at will… though I’ve never seen it myself, so I don’t know the details.”
Hearing this, I started to think about my own abilities.
“Is it possible for someone to have more than one blessing?”
“It’s hard to say. People with blessings are rare as it is, so I think it’s unlikely.”
Could the power to create magic roses also be a blessing? Wondering if anyone in history had ever possessed more than one blessing, I asked Eurua, who replied that she had never heard of such a person.
“…It’s incredible. I wouldn’t be surprised if people fought over this.”
“I managed to produce one red potion and three purple potions just from this homegrown patch… The efficiency is quite impressive.”
Thanks to Eurua’s knowledge of potion-making, even a home-level garden of magic roses was enough to yield one red potion. Considering that two red potions could be made from a field full of roses in Akane village, creating one in a backyard garden is remarkably efficient.
It’s not feasible to sell red potions in the capital, but purple potions with regenerative properties are in high demand. Given that a single blue-grade potion sells for about a million, purple-grade potions would easily command ten times that.
In the glass flasks I brought from Japan, the potions, now sealed, glowed a vibrant purple under the room’s lighting.
“Purple potions are hard to come by. Technically, they can be made, but the cost isn’t worth it.”
“It’s cheaper and more reliable to hire more adventurers to explore dungeons.”
While healing magic can treat injuries, it’s nearly impossible to regenerate lost limbs without purple-grade or higher potions. Given the dangerous nature of adventuring, purple-grade potions would undoubtedly sell quickly, even at high prices.
“If money is the goal, I recommend auctioning them. With three purple potions on hand, one could be reserved for the brigade, and two gifted to renowned adventurer teams with connections to the auction circuit.”
“Though there is the matter of their expiration…”
There’s no issue with offering a purple potion to the brigade. However, there was no current need for it among the brigade members, which meant it might end up unused. Given that, selling it to an adventurer team that truly needs it seemed like the best approach, as Eurua suggested.
“Everything is, after all, in Allen-sama’s possession. However, it may be wise to seek Saioji-sama’s opinion.”
“Right.”
Eurua has met Saioji once, though only in passing while she was with me. Since she knows he is my superior, she suggested consulting him before deciding.
…
“…Something on your mind, KAEDE?”
While Eurua and I discussed what to do with the potions, KAEDE, who had been observing from behind, looked at them with a curious expression. KAEDE usually showed little interest, so I asked if something was up, to which she made a surprising remark.
“I’m astounded. To think that the original Seisen Elixir was created this way…”
“What?”
The Seisen Elixir, an ancient youth-restoring potion from the Sakura Empire, was, according to KAEDE, made in the same manner as my homemade potion extracted from magic roses.