Author: Eltria	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Mui	English Source: Re:Library
Editor(s): Robinxen

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

After school, Melua could usually be found either in the academy’s research building or at a café in the shopping district, so I decided to check the research building first, as it was close to the faculty room.

Melua, a special-class alchemist, was a prodigy expected to achieve great things as both an alchemist and a mage, and she seemed to receive special treatment because of it. With her Pure Eyes and her exceptional magical combat abilities, she was spending more and more time devoted to her alchemy research in the atelier assigned to her, in place of attending Ms. Matilda’s elective classes.

“Speaking of Melua, I’ve never seen her in any elective classes, but apparently, she clears all the assignments in no time at all.”

Alfe passed along what she’d heard in the magic department. If Melua could defeat an Iron Golem faster than even the trio of Lili-Lulu and Alfe —and all by herself— her magical combat abilities must have been extraordinary. On the other hand, if the lessons were adjusted to match Melua’s level, the other students might never be able to defeat the golem. It made sense that she was essentially exempt from magic electives.

Melua’s atelier was located on the west side of the research building.

The door was open, giving a clear view of the room. Bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun, Melua sat alone, engrossed in her alchemy research.

“Excuse me, Miss Melua.” Alfe gently knocked on the door, her expression tense as she called out to Melua.

“Oh, it’s the homunculus master.” Melua, working on something at her workstation, responded not to Alfe but to me. “Did you need something? If it’s to thank me for last time, Estea already paid me back plenty, so I’m good.”

“Actually, we have a favor to ask. We were hoping you could become Alfe’s magic tutor.”
“Too busy so no chance~”

Melua’s response was curt. She didn’t seem interested in Alfe at all, quickly averting her gaze and returning to her work.

“What’s keeping you so busy?” As I asked, stepping closer to the workstation, Melua pointed to a bracelet resting in the corner of the desk.

“This bracelet…”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was identical to the ‘Bracelet of the Gentle Unicorn’ I had crafted in my past life as Glass. Why was it here?

“Is this your first time seeing one? It’s one of the artifacts made during the Human-Demon War era.”

Of course, I knew that. The bracelet was made by dissolving powdered unicorn horn into sap from the ash tree, then embedding polished magic stones like colored tiles to form the shape of a unicorn.

It was one of the earliest works I had created in my previous life. Wearing this bracelet greatly enhanced natural healing and immunity. It sped up recovery not only from injuries but also from poison and illness. The only flaw was that it had no effect on the Black Stone Disease.

“Oh, but this is just one of my reproduction experiments. I was wondering if I could make an even better version than the original, so I started by trying to recreate it.”

Despite claiming to be busy, Melua grew talkative the moment alchemy became the topic.

“But there are barely any surviving records from that era, and no one even knows who made it. So, I borrowed the real one from Ms. Matilda and tried analyzing it, but no matter how precisely I copied it, the bracelet’s purification effect wouldn’t activate…”

Melua let out an exaggerated sigh, then held up the genuine Bracelet of the Gentle Unicorn, waving it back and forth in front of me.

“Man… if I could just complete this, maybe I’d finally have a little free time.”

The corners of Melua’s mouth lifted slightly. In other words, she was dangling the possibility of becoming Alfe’s magic tutor — without explicitly agreeing to it. And, most likely, she assumed that completing the bracelet was something I couldn’t possibly do.

—Even though I was the one who made it in my past life¹.

“…I’ll help. Can you tell me what materials you’ve analyzed so far?”
“The bracelet’s made from ash sap and magic stones, right? I know that much. I thought the issue might be the stone placement or maybe the simplified formula or—”
“The unicorn’s name isn’t just for show. You need to dissolve powdered unicorn horn into the ash sap, or it won’t serve as the base for the ‘Bracelet of the Gentle Unicorn.’ Look, the color is different.”

I pointed it out to Melua, placing her replica and the genuine bracelet side by side so she could compare the color of the base on the inside.

“You’re right! The color really is different! So, I just need to add the unicorn powder?”
“No, that alone won’t be enough. You mentioned concerns about the simplified formula, didn’t you? You carved the runes on the back of the bracelet pretty well, but you filled them with magic ink to complete the spell, right?”
“That’s normal, isn’t it?”

Melua tilted her head, puzzled by my comment.

“If you change the materials and add the powdered unicorn horn, the bracelet essentially becomes a catalyst made from unicorn horn. In that case, to properly channel aether through it, the formulas need to be drawn with unicorn blood.”
“…Now that you mention it, the grooves of the original formula do look kind of dull reddish-purple…”

Melua accepted my explanation without resistance and immediately cast a magnifying vision spell to carefully examine the genuine bracelet’s inscription.

“Hey, how can you figure all this out just by looking at it? Who even are you?”

Once she finished her inspection, Melua grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me back and forth. Her Pure Eyes glowed gold with a mix of surprise and curiosity.

Of course, I couldn’t exactly say, “I made it myself.” So, I brushed it off with a vague excuse, claiming I had studied the artifact long ago.

“…Ever since I heard you created a homunculus, I figured you weren’t just some ordinary alchemist. What class are you?”
“I’m a third-class…²”
“You’re kidding, right!? How can you be lower ranked than me, a special-class alchemist³!?”

Melua let out a shocked cry, then her gaze dropped to the bracelet in her hand.

“…Oh, I get it. You’re messing with me, aren’t you? Even if you make things up, I’m not agreeing to be her teacher.”
“I wouldn’t resort to something so petty.”

With Alfe right there, I absolutely had to clear up that misunderstanding.

“Then prove it. You can use anything you want from the materials in my atelier.”

Melua didn’t explicitly state that success would mean she’d become Alfe’s magic teacher. I’d hoped to pin her down with a concrete promise, but it seemed she wasn’t that easy to corner.

“Of course. If I can prove I’m not lying, you’ll listen to what we have to say, right?”
“Sure. Let’s see what you’ve got ♪”

Melua nodded cheerfully and stepped aside, offering me her seat at the workbench.