It’s been a week since I have become wanted throughout the Kingdom of Merzelia, and I have been chased by the military police numerous times since.
I always manage to shake them off, but this is quite the deviation from my original plans.
I should be flourishing as a genius alchemist in the capital.
My bad reputation sees no signs of stopping its free fall. Everywhere I go, people yell about the incompetent alchemist when they see me.
No one believes me when I say it’s the incompetent Loyd’s fault.
Everyone in this country is trash. The way they came to me when I was successful and stay away when I’ve fallen is filling me with hatred.
And most of all, I hate that man… My former exclusive mage Loyd.
I wouldn’t have had to suffer if he didn’t leave. Everything went wrong after he left the atelier.
This situation really couldn’t be worse, but I have hope.
If Loyd caused this, I just have to get him back, and it should all sort itself out.
I’ve been going to numerous towns, risking the danger of capture to ask about where he’s hiding.
The seas have been off-limits for the past two months because of Undine, and that sealed off information too. But thanks to the newspapers brought by gardo, I have managed to find myself a promising lead.
It seems the former saintess Iris is living in the remote town called Minerva.
She has platinum hair like snow, and is said to be a collection of all the beauty in the world. And Loyd is said to have been seen in Melport with a beautiful silver haired girl.
I may have overlooked it if it was just this, but after seeing that loathsome newspaper a week ago, I got an idea.
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Testimony number two – The knight known as Isol○e Von Minefort
“I have never spoken to her directly, but I could see Loyd’s heart was deeply wounded when I first met him.
…Incompetent mage? Ah, those were all lies.
He was treated pretty poorly in his former workplace, but he honors dates, and takes down vicious monsters one after the other.
I have never seen such a great mage, and I am very glad he decided to join us.”
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Minefort + Minerva + silver haired girl + Iris = Loyd could very well be in Minerva
I assume this evil woman called Iris is the one behind my infamy.
She has been spreading lies and slander to make me fall so she can take Loyd. I’m sure of it.
What a terrifying woman. What kind of life makes people want to bring misfortune to others like this?
Unforgivable. Taking what belongs to others…
As a righteous alchemist, I have to save Loyd from this evil doer.
But to do that, I need money and weapons. I have to come up with these two things somehow.
I’m currently penniless. I have been subsisting with the few copper coins thrown at me by nobles to get me to leave. I have been going around noble mansions trying to rally support, but was rejected every time.
Some even reported me, and I was almost caught.
Citizens are no good, nobles are no good, and in my hour of need, I’m going to an atelier belonging to one of my juniors.
I’m headed to the remote town called Rahzel, where my junior lives, hoping to come back from the brink.
◆ ◆ ◆
I call the alchemist that lives here in Rahzel my junior, but that’s a convenient thing I say because I registered first with the alchemist guild.
We were in school together, and had the same master, but I want to point out we were never that close.
She’s insignificant and not well known, but she should have respect for me. She even greeted me every time she went to the capital.
‘Alchemia! Drop by my atelier if you’re ever in Rahzel!’, she would say every time.
But I actually don’t remember her name very well. She would come over to me, but I was never too interested.
I look for her atelier while thinking back to that. All I know is she’s in Rahzel, so I have a tough time finding the atelier, but I eventually learn of an atelier in a house on a hill.
And sure enough, I find a wooden house. It’s not falling apart or anything, but it feels old.
I knock on the door, but no one answers.
I smack my lips, and I’m about to leave, when a lively voice stops me.
I squint, and see someone I know, along with three other girls.
I found her. This is how I get my money and weapons.
My mouth naturally turns into a grin I can’t hold back.
She sees me and looks surprised, as do the other three. They look pretty wary of me.
“I’m sorry to drop by all of a sudden, but I have come to talk to you. Can you please listen to me?”
I say while politely bowing.
I have no choice because I’m a wanted person, but bowing to some mob character whose name I don’t even remember hurts me so much I could die.
I must endure the humiliation for now. If she abandons me, it will only make things worse for me.
I need to put on my best friendly smile.
“Hum… Let’s talk inside. Please come in, Alchemia.”
She’s a little taken aback, but takes me to the atelier, and the others go back to town.
When I enter the atelier, I see it’s surprisingly orderly, with no books on the ground.
I heard many alchemists are meticulous like this, and apparently this mob character is one of them.
She pours coffee into a cup for me, and I watch closely to see if she doesn’t poison it.
It appears safe to drink.
After a few minutes of irrelevant chat, I get to the main point.
“I have the favor of a lifetime to ask. Please lend me your atelier for an hour.”
“I don’t mind, but can you tell me what you want to make?”
“A bahamut bomb.”
“Eh?”
She’s taken aback.
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Bahamut bomb: A bomb with the power to blow away a house. Often used against humanoid monsters.
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There are two reasons why I want this.
First, to break through the knights encircling me. There will be a time when I have to do things by force, and I don’t stand a chance without a method of attack.
With a bahamut bomb, I can threaten them into a favorable position.
Second, to threaten Iris.
I don’t intend to kill her, but she won’t hand over Loyd so easily.
Loyd has no talent, but he’s much better than mages around here.
At the very least, he’s a hundred times more capable than my junior’s three exclusive mages.
She thinks for a bit, and then accepts, so I head with her to the transmutation room.
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