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Merc ended up working until the evening, but she finished the Blood-Stopping Medicine. The making process had not been difficult, as Rousseaurumu had said, but she had difficulty finding the correct ingredients.

Chio Leaves, which were used to stop bleeding, and Alpur Fruit Sap, which turned sticky when mixed with water. She had managed to find these two in no time. And, to be honest, she had made an efficient ointment only by mixing those two.

However, her Master hadn’t approved it and constantly turned down Merc’s medicine. Rousseaurumu had given Merc her final hint just as the sun was setting.

“You would have already passed if I wanted a regular Blood-Stopping Medicine. However, I believe I’ve already mentioned this, but even the tiniest wound can cause a person’s death. And the ones you’ve created so far are incapable of rooting out the source of the problem.”
“I see!”

Blood-Stopping Medicine could, in fact, prevent a disease from entering the body when applied correctly. However, by keeping the blood from flowing, the infections that had already entered the body were unable to leave as well. That’s why they had to be killed from within the body.

Following Rousseaurumu’s advice, Merc had begun her hunt for an anti-bacterial herb that she could incorporate into her other ingredients. Finally, she had chosen to add a Korue Grass Root to her mixture, which earned her a passing grade.

“Thank you very much. I was finally able to complete it with that last hint.”

Merc said, her head bowed. Rousseaurumu, on the other hand, simply smacked her.

“Be more confident. To tell you the truth, I never expected you to make a Blood-Stopping Medicine with antibacterial properties on your own.”
“Huh?”
“You would have passed even without the Korue Grass Root. But as time went on I decided to incorporate sterilization as well. Because you came up with the Chio Leaves and Alpur Fruit Sap so quickly, I decided to up the difficulty a notch.”
“Master…”

Merc had assumed that her Master would not assign her any ludicrous assignments, but it appears that she was mistaken. Despite the fact that she needed help, she had been able to finish the medicine. So, in the end, her Master’s decision had been correct.

“Well, I’m sure my parents and younger brother are concerned, therefore Master, I’d like to go.”
“You’re right.”

Rousseaurumu was pleased to send her student off with a passing mark. But, just as Merc was about to go, Rousseaurumu remembered something.

“Merc.”
“Yes?”
“You’re practicing Mana Manipulation, right?”
“Huh?”

Merc froze in place as she was ready to turn around after hearing the inquiry.

“W-What may you be talking about?”

Merc smiled softly as she slowly turned around, but Rousseaurumu’s face revealed that she was seeing right through her.

“You don’t have to play dumb. True, I warned you against using magic, but I don’t recall telling you not to practice your Mana Manipulation. It’s just that it appears that you’ve been releasing the Mana from your body. When did you start doing it?”
“S-Six years ago.”
“So even before you became my student. That explains why the daily growth in your Mana pool appeared weird. What a rash decision.”
“…”
“You’ve been doing this since you were five, huh… Since she began practicing at such a young age, I suppose the ability to control her power came naturally to her… Merc!”
“Yes?”
“Are you aware that what you’ve been doing is dangerous? Mana Manipulation is still fine. However, releasing Mana outside of your body to boost your Mana pool could result in your death with just one mistake… Are you aware of this?”

As her Master stared right at her, Merc felt shivers run down her spine.

Estert’s consciousness was imbued in Merc. Which meant that her mind was still that of the stronger swordsman Estert. And yet she was overwhelmed by Rousseaurumu’s gaze, despite the fact that she didn’t falter when confronted with most creatures or humans.

Because of the pressure, Merc ended up gulping unconsciously.

“… Your answer?”
“I-I’ve been doing it with full awareness of the risks. I believe that I have a firm grasp on how much Mana I can release. So I plan to continue doing it even from now on.”

Merc said, her voice trembling. It was the same as a voice that could be heard when a child was being reprimanded. Merc had last felt this way after being reprimanded by her parents in her past life. She had been roughly the same age at the time.

Estert had been spanked after providing an excuse to his father. Rousseaurumu, on the other hand, merely giggled today, much to Merc’s amazement.

“I see. Then it’s fine. You can begin practicing your Magic on your own starting today, Merc. Starting next time, I’ll also teach you Magic.”
“Huh?”
“Of course, you will continue your Alchemy studies, but the fundamentals finish today. I’m going to have you try your hand at Healing starting next time as well.”
“…!!! OKAY!”
“Teruse and Oron must be quite worried right about now, so how about you head home? I’ll be waiting for you the day after tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay! I’ll be leaving then!”

*I’ll finally be able to try my hand at real training starting next time! *

As those thoughts raced through Merc’s mind, she felt like jumping up and down.

But, because she didn’t want Rousseaurumu to think she was a bad disciple, she managed to shove those feelings down and bowed. Merc couldn’t hold her delight any longer after leaving Rousseaurumu’s house, so she skipped home.

Merc’s chest was filled with an uplifting emotion similar to when she had bought her first sword in a past life.

The feeling didn’t fade even after she returned home and was chastised by her parents for being late.

1. Robinxen: Make sure to read the pre-chapter ramble for this chapter if you’re coming here from the next chapter link! It’s an important discussion about the names in use going forward! Make sure to give your feedback. I’ll put a link here just to be sure.

   Here is the link for the sake of being sure!