Magic Tools Are Selling Too Well

“When my mother drank a low-grade health potion, her symptoms improved for about three to four days.”
“Only three days?”
“Yes. I’m not sure about the standard. But her symptoms were much alleviated, and after five days, she would get worse again.”

It was strange.
[Low-grade Health Potion], despite its low-grade prefix, is a very effective treatment.
First of all, because it contains ‘Flandre leaves’ which are full of holy power, it produces the same performance as the holy magic of a fairly competent clergyman.
For external wounds, it could heal even quite deep cuts, and common illnesses like colds or stomachaches could be cured so easily that one wouldn’t even know they had been sick.

“That was enough for me. As long as my mother could be okay, I could buy as many potions as needed.”
“…How much did you earn in a month?”
“If I worked tightly, I earned about 120 gold.”

I unknowingly held my forehead.

120 gold is quite a lot of money for Morphine who doesn’t have a formal job, but considering his situation, it wasn’t a lot of money at all.
He said the effect of the low-grade health potion lasts up to four days at most, so even if we generously set the potion price at 10 gold, about 70 gold would be spent each month.
How abundant could life be with the remaining 50 gold?
Morphine was pouring almost all of his earnings into his mother’s potion costs and living expenses.
He probably couldn’t even properly feed himself.

“And a few months ago, when I was selected as a hero aspirant, I learned about a new world. That the alchemist who makes this potion, the clergyman I couldn’t call because I had no money, and the knights who were killing monsters outside the city walls. They were all the same heroes.”

Anyone who is selected as a hero aspirant can know this fact.

The reason is simple.

Just as heroes can check the information of items with an alchemist’s appraisal magic, when you’re selected as a hero aspirant, information that can confirm this appears before your eyes.

[You have been selected as a hero]
[Morphine]
-Talent: Alchemy
-Possessed Magic Circuit: 1
-Unique Ability: –

And the information that appears is very simple, more than you might think.
You can only identify how many magic circuits you have and what field you have talent in.

Hero aspirants decide their field based on this when entering the academy.
Very occasionally there are cases where multiple talents appear, but it was common to have only one talent.

“That’s how I was able to enter the Imperial Academy, and by chance, I got to know you, Senior.”
“…Right. While smoking on the rooftop.”
“I’ll tell you now, but I don’t smoke much. Because I don’t have money. Even that cheap tobacco was given to me by an old man I worked with during repair construction.”

I nodded.

In fact, I had never encountered Morphine on the rooftop since then.
I only met Morphine at the alchemy shop or in the classroom.
I had never even thought that the reason might be poverty.

Suddenly, I noticed Delia slightly trembling her hand on one side.
She was quietly listening to our conversation with a hardened expression.

“And recently, I got to buy the potion you made, Senior, and gave it to my mother as usual. And… and something really amazing happened. For a moment, my mother was able to get up from her sickbed. After drinking the potion you made, Senior.”

Only then did the puzzle start to fit together bit by bit.

This was the reason why Morphine always made excuses and ran a tab every time he bought my potion.
Because of the potion that showed unbelievable performance, he probably tried to buy my potion more often and in larger quantities than he usually purchased.
Since the frequency of buying potions was high compared to the money he earned, he had no choice but to run tabs more often.

“I was really overjoyed. It’s been two years since my mother fell ill, and it was the first time she got up from her sickbed by herself. Although she lay down again after a day, even that one day was so precious to me. So…”

Morphine’s face started to distort little by little.

He hesitated, moving his mouth like when he first started telling us the story.

An indescribable wave of emotions was rushing over Morphine now.

“So, so… I should have thanked you first, Senior. I should have said I was really, really grateful first…”

And he barely continued speaking as if exhaling a breath.

Hot tears were already flowing from Morphine’s eyes.

Was it regret towards me, or resentment towards the world?
Without knowing his true feelings, Morphine was apologizing to me in tears.

“My greed was endless. Because I’m a selfish and inadequate person, I wanted your potion so badly, Senior. If only I could make your potion, Senior, I could make my mother walk for the rest of her life. Because I could redraw the future I thought I couldn’t draw…”

As I listened to this confession, I found myself unable to say anything.

In the end, it was I who had misunderstood by seeing only fragments.
What was stuck like a preconception was my perception of alchemists.

Morphine wasn’t a rude and ignorant person with a wrong attitude as an alchemist.
He was just a son who had thrown away his pride to do anything for his mother.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Senior.”

Morphine kept bowing his head and apologizing.

Next to him, Delia was already crying and patting his shoulder.

My momentary emotions had long since disappeared as well.
Rather, I was ashamed of myself for easily judging his decision.
And I felt sorry for Morphine who must have lived in anxiety and distress for years.

However, apart from this backstory, there was something Morphine needed to know.
I spoke the words I had painfully organized.

“…Morphine. Okay. I’ll accept your apology. I fully understand how urgent your situation was. But there’s one thing you need to know. Potion making doesn’t just happen by knowing the manufacturing method and ratio. Have you already tried to make a potion?”
“…Yes, I have.”

It was as I expected.
Morphine, who realized that the price of potions was much higher than the cost of materials, would naturally have tried to make potions himself.

Even if it wasn’t my potion, his mother needed potions anyway.

“It probably didn’t work well. Even though you followed the manufacturing method known to the public exactly. You probably thought it was a problem of ratio. So you asked me to tell you the ratio. Especially since my potion performed differently. Right?”
“…That’s right.”
“That thought is half right and half wrong. Unlike what you think, the reason you couldn’t make potions isn’t a problem of ratio. Of course, the ratio is important too. Because it makes potions with different performances. But there’s a more fundamental problem.”

This was an important story to correct Morphine’s misconception.

“Magic circuits exist everywhere. Humans, monsters, weapons or armor, various magic tools…. And it’s the same for the materials used to make magic tools.”

This was actually a continuation of the explanation I was about to give before Morphine made his request earlier.

I slowly explained while making eye contact with both Morphine and Delia.

“The key to potion making is to deeply sense the magic circuits between these materials, and naturally connect these circuits with your own magic circuit using alchemy magic. If either of these two doesn’t proceed smoothly, you can’t make magic tools. This is a really important mechanism. It’s like even if you know how to dig the ground efficiently, it’s all useless if you don’t have a shovel to dig with and don’t know where to dig. So even if I teach you the specific manufacturing method and ratio, you can’t make my potion right now. Do you understand?”
“Ah…!”

Morphine’s eyes widened as if hearing a completely new story.

He probably found a clear reason why he had been failing all this time.
And he must have realized how foolish his request to teach him the manufacturing ratio was.

Delia listened to the story while nodding lightly.
She is the daughter of Professor Bluecliff who deals with magic circuits in depth.
She probably knew this content well enough.

“That’s why potion making starts in the third year. How could kids who can’t even properly handle alchemy magic make potions? That’s why in the 1st and 2nd years, we focus on theory and alchemy magic, fully preparing for the production practice that will come later.”

It doesn’t seem like something I, a second-year student, should say, but it was possible because I had already completed a lot of advanced learning before entering the academy.

For Morphine, who had no prior knowledge before entering the academy, improving his proficiency in alchemy magic was the priority.
It was natural that incomplete results came out when trying to make potions without even mastering alchemy magic.
Even if you know the theory, magic tools can’t be made if you can’t put it into practice.

I briefly pressed my head due to the oncoming fatigue.
Not being able to smoke for a long time was also affecting my condition.

“Hah… Let’s stop this conversation here and go back for today. It’s about time to close the workshop.”
“Understood.”
“Okay…”

I had spent too many emotions in one day.
There were many things to think about and problems to consider.

I finished preparing to leave and opened the workshop door.

Delia finished preparing first and went out, and Morphine was about to follow.

“Morphine.”

I briefly called out to Morphine who was about to leave.

And I handed him a vial swirling with deep red color.

“Take it.”
“This is…?”

[Intermediate Health Potion]
-Type: Potion
-Creator: Sacher Philip
-An intermediate health potion that can heal injuries and quickly recover internal injuries. It’s very effective.

“It’s an intermediate potion. It would be great if it could cure her completely, but from what I’ve heard, it might not work with health potions alone. Give it to your mother and let me know how effective it is. I think I need to do some research too.”
“……!”

For a moment, Morphine’s face was covered with indescribable emotion.

I’m not giving this to see such a face.

I was worried he might feel hurt in his pride, but that was unfounded.
I hope this guy quickly returns to the original Morphine I knew.

“I…”
“Don’t say nonsense like you can’t accept it if I’m giving it out of pity because I’m not just giving it to you. Make sure to pay me back later.”

I quickly cut off Morphine’s words as he was about to say something.

He was probably going to stretch out obvious words like thank you or sorry.

I patted Morphine’s shoulder a few times as he hung his head low and went out of the workshop.

“It’s on tab.”

While saying the words I hate the most myself.