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“Hey! Are the potions ready yet!?”
“Does anyone know what’s happening!?”
“All first-floor windows have been sealed!”

Inside the Alchemists’ Guild was utter chaos. Several goblin-like corpses had been piled in the corners, and the injured were gathered elsewhere and laid down.

“Chytis Alice, you’re safe!”

As we entered the floor, an eastern-looking alchemist who had been giving orders called out to us. He is the 2nd Tier Alchemist overseeing the compounding division.

“Chytis George, what happened?”
“You should head to the second-floor conference room for now. The receptionists and Chytis Philip are worried for you. Many commonfolk are on edge due to the sudden situation.”
“Got it. Everyone, let’s go.”
“O-okay, nya.”
“Yeah.”

Many westerners were also inside, probably evacuated in emergency. We bowed lightly to George and the receptionists and hurried upstairs, escaping the tense atmosphere.

Passing apprentices running while carrying magic tools, we arrived at a conference room whose door stood open.

“What about the lord’s knights?”
“They’re busy dealing with Bludsuckers that slipped in, and can’t handle the scattered goblins. Seems there was an informant among the gate guards.”
“The people of Bayer really want a war…”
“The barrier devices are installed on the entrance floor. Ready to activate anytime.”
“Activate after we gather as many injured as possible. Any movement from the Church?”
“…They’ve shut their gates and remain silent. Civilians seeking help are being completely ignored. Looks like the Alchemists’ Guild medical division must handle all the wounded.”
“Truly irredeemable lot.”

The ominous conversation made us stop briefly. After exchanging glances, the four of us quietly peeked inside.

Philip sat at the table. Beside him was a tall slender man wearing something like a blindfold.

“Chytis Philip, you have visitors.”
“Hm? Oh—Chytis Alice, you’re safe!”

Philip stood up in relief when he saw me.

“I was about to send someone to fetch you. I’m glad you came.”
“There are only a few alchemists capable of fighting while protecting people, after all… So this is the rumored prodigy girl?”
“That’s right. Chytis Alice, this is Chytis Khaleed, a B-rank adventurer and battle alchemist.”
“I am Khaleed. Holder of Third Tier ‘Practica’. I’ve long heard of you. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Alice.”

After greeting him, I turned back to Philip.

“What happened in the city?”
“Hm…”

He stroked his chin and explained carefully.

“Goblins jumped out of wagons that entered the city—not one or two points, but from many across the city. Among the released monsters were Bludsuckers.”
“Bludsuckers?”
“A giant leech living in the forbidden region called the Carrion Swamp within the Kingdom of Bayer.”

A forbidden region is a naturally occurring dungeon that’s quite common, and it’s an especially dangerous unexplored zone where the internal laws are distorted and creatures undergo grotesque mutations.

There’s no way a creature from there is safe.

“The fangs in its mouth contain a substance that dissolves flesh. If bitten, everything but bone melts and gets sucked away.”
“Uegh…”
“F-fweh…”
“They’re children, Chýtis Khaleed.”

An indescribable squeal escaped, perhaps due to the vivid picture. Philip warned Khaleed for it, but the battle alchemist only shrugged.

“An alchemist should provide accurate information.”
“I agree.”

He was right. It made me feel sick imagining it, but knowing the danger helps more than vague warnings.

“Either way, they are being handled by the lord’s knight. More importantly, I’m glad you came to evacuate yourselves. We’ll open part of the facility as a shelter. Stay here until things settle. You can use the nap room on the back of the second floor.”
“Thank you.”

Even then, Sufi, Noche, and Filia had been unusually quiet. Nervous, I might even say.

They were tense around the important adult men, especially the obviously strong one. I could sense they were shrinking back.

“…Hey, is there anything we can help with, nya?”

Noche broke the silence and asked.

“Hm…”
“Given your status and ability, that’d be difficult. You’re not enough as a defensive strength, and your race is problematic to present before the agitated commonfolk.”

Unlike Philip who was politely considering it, Khaleed bluntly rejected the idea.

“…We can fight pretty well, nya. But that’s not it, sitting still makes me restless nya.”
“In times like this, distracting your mind is important. Chýtis Alice, how’s your condition?”
“On the better side.”
“Then I’ll request you to prepare medical potions. Could the rest of you assist and guard her?”

It was understandable to feel anxious, doing nothing in a state of emergency. However, especially because it was an emergency, anything we do would only lead to more trouble.

Philip knew exactly that, and thus gave us the perfect task.

“Got it. Sufi, can you help make medicine?”
“Eh? …Okay.”
“I’ll help too!”

With that being said, it seems that this terrorism attack would be large in scale. There would be a considerable amount of injured people, and yet, judging from the conversation we overheard, the Luminism Church—apparently possessing their own unique healing art—and the Medical Guild that was tied to it would be of no use.

I felt bad making Sufi assist when she dislikes alchemy, but manpower was clearly insufficient.

Besides, there was something else that bothered me.

“Can I use the first-floor compounding room?”
“Yes. Call if anything happens.”
“Let’s go.”
“Okay, nya.”

We bowed to Khaleed and left the conference room.

■■■■■

Grandpa, who adopted us, was an alchemist. Naturally, Sufi had learned alchemy too.

Sufi was clever and learned quickly, even surprising Grandpa.

Playing outside was hard for me, but doing alchemy together with my big sister was fun… That’s probably when I started liking alchemy.

But eventually she stopped practicing alchemy whatsoever. She put away all her study materials, and even when I invited her, she refused, saying that she had to do chores around the house.

Last year, when we came for licensing, she could have received the 0th Tier Neophyte certification if she really wanted to, yet she clearly refused: “Sufi won’t do alchemy.”

Ever since then, Sufi never touched anything related to alchemy. Until now.

“We’ll make minor wound potions and antiseptic pain-relief salves. I’ll handle potions, haah. Sufi, measure and make salve, haah, Noche and Filia, carry materials and… cough… transport finished products… please…”
“Now I’m worried, nya.”

I only choked from talking too fast.

“Sufi, are you okay?”
“Yeah.”

Slightly absent-minded, Sufi weighed dried Aserica herb and vaseline oil and portioned them efficiently into mixing dishes.

Her tail was stiff and drooped, clearly she was tense. She had been, ever since we went out of the dorm and she killed the goblin.

Sufi was a hunter, combat and blood were something she was used to. However, she probably never killed something so humanoid. Filia was shaken, but Sufi, who struck the blow, was even more so.

Noche seemed to have experienced carnage and didn’t seem particularly shaken, but this state was not good. I thought that if Sufi concentrated and worked with her hands, she wouldn’t have to think about unnecessary things, so I asked her to help me, knowing that she disliked alchemy, but…

“…Hmm… Forging.”

As I mulled, I dissolved the Aserica in a beaker of distilled water and filtered out the impurities using my art.

The reason I could stay relatively calm was because I was a target in my previous life. I didn’t do anything directly, but I’d seen humans meet gruesome ends right in front of my eyes.

Come to think of it, what did Captain do in times like this…?

There was that rookie who just tasted his first life-or-death battle, following a certain series of events, and how did he deal with him again?

Hmm, was there any conversation we had…

*— Ah, crap, he’s got shocks. Go take him to a brothel, he’d be fine once he’s held a woman. I’m paying.*
*— For two, right?*
*— Haah? …Tsk, fine. I’m paying for yours too, but make sure he’s seen it through.*
*— That’s our captain!*

Totally useless reference!!!

Besides, Sufi’s a girl, and I’m already her bed companion.

For now, I’ll stay close to Sufi, not leaving her side… which I’m already doing anyway.

“Hm…”
“Alice, the alchemist guy’s here, nya.
“Sorry to interrupt — how many potions done?”
“Here.”

He was someone I’d seen before from the Pharmaceutical Department, but I didn’t know his name. When I pointed to the large beaker that had just finished filtering, the alchemist exclaimed in admiration.

“Ooh… Excellent, clean and uniformly dissolved.”
“I’ll keep making them. Can you bring more materials?”
“Sure. Could one of you come along?”
“Filia, go, nya.”
“O-okay!”

Seeing them off with the large beaker, I resumed crafting more potions.

While I waited for the filtering to finish, I put the ingredients Sufi measured into the vaseline oil and used Decomposition to blend them quickly. Normally, they would dissolve on their own with time and I didn’t have to use alchemy, but time was of essence.

Besides, I’m grateful for the good equipment. They minimize the mana cost.

“Sufi, this one.”
“Okay…”

I handed the mortar to Sufi. She seemed distracted, but her hands still moved, mixing the ingredients with the might that I didn’t have.

Still… what should I do…

As I worried, the noise outside kept growing louder.

***

#Author’s note: #

Sufi’s aptitude with alchemy: Top of the Nation.
Alice’s aptitude with alchemy: What in the World??