[Love Potion]Of course, there is no convenient thing like a love potion.Human emotions are not something so easily manipulated. Not even in a game.But we can make something similar.In truth, not even that similar.Trishi frowned as she looked over the formula I handed her.“You want to sell this at the festival?”“Yeah. Strictly speaking, it’s closer to a beverage than a love potion. Something that clears the mind yet gives a fluttering feeling.”“Don’t tell me it’s like coffee?”“You could say that.”“Then it’s not a love potion.”“You’re right.”I nodded to affirm and then shrugged.“But who cares. If you think it is, then it is.”“?”“What I mean is, it doesn’t actually have to deliver some amazing effect like a real love potion. It just has to provide a slight trigger and make people believe it. That’s the placebo effect.”Academy Festival.The exciting mood within the continent’s largest festival where all Union students gather.A stall with a plausible alchemy vibe, a drink, and a sweet, tasty, refreshing beverage with a dash of alchemy mixed in.If you satisfy conditions at about that level, it doesn’t matter if it’s not actually a love potion.If two people whose hearts match drink it together while watching a splendid fireworks show, they could naturally get together.In that case, what else would it be but a love potion?When I explained it like that, Trishi grumbled as if dumbfounded.“Ha. This guy…… really is trying to peddle.”“To be precise, we’ll be selling a delicious drink, hope, and a flutter. The value is decided by the consumer.”“A silver-tongued scammer. I’m not doing it. So you approached me with this purpose from the start, huh?”“I won’t deny it.”In fact, this formula can be used starting at Intermediate Alchemy level 1.For me to use it, even if I borrow Albany’s Alchemy Workbench, I’d need at least Lower 8. And even if I could make it, mass production would be impossible.Hence I’m seeking Trishi’s help.“But it’ll be a good offer for you too. You could make a great deal of money from this.”“I’m still not doing it.”“Alchemy is a discipline that costs a lot of money. It’s something only a rich young master like me is permitted to do. For /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ you, this is a rare opportunity.”“……”“No matter how much investment you get from me, money is always short. More money leads to chances to handle rarer, more expensive materials. Without the burden of failure, at that. You could experiment freely with costly ingredients.”“Ugh.”Trishi seemed slightly tempted.I pressed the persuasion.“What if this potion sells well at the festival? If it really takes off, it could get franchised and be sold across the whole continent. Then you might be sitting on a cushion of money.”“!”This wasn’t empty talk.The Union’s festival is not only attended by students; dignitaries from across the continent come to observe, and tourists swarm — it’s the continent’s biggest festival.If you get good results here, you’ll draw the continent’s attention.Then, through Garfield — who has innate talent for deals — we negotiate with a major merchant group and set up a franchise.Gulp-.Trishi swallowed dryly, then shook her head side to side to steady herself.Then she frowned at a particular item listed on the formula.“No matter what, this is too suspicious. Especially this — isn’t it a prohibited substance?”Since the formula uses coca leaves, a prohibited item was included.“Right. So instead we’ll use caffeine. It’ll produce a similar effect.”“I see……”Trishi studied the formula deeply.I also looked at her while keeping the formula’s name in mind.Though I slapped the name Love Potion on it, the drink to be sold at the festival isn’t some weird drug.Its true identity is—‘Cola.’It’s a planned perk to be distributed to early players — a special sort of alchemy whose recipe only players can possess.It can be unlocked not only by the alchemist route but also by the pharmacologist build.“Why cola out of nowhere?” you’d ask, but if you trace the origin of cola, it’s persuasive enough.Its origin is an invigorant made with extract from coca leaves and the kola nut, sold at pharmacies — alchemical enough.And after countless refinements and development, plus marketing, it became the best-loved drink for many.It’ll suit the palates of people in this Mirrelin Saga.It’s a bit far from a love potion…… but call it a kind of marketing.If you really want effects, you can mix in other ingredients.“How about it?”“……Damn.”Snatch-.After wavering, Trishi couldn’t resist the temptation and snatched the sheet with the formula.Then, glaring at me, she declared boldly,“I am absolutely not doing this for money!”You look like a money-grubber, though?“Money is only a means! I’m making this to attain a higher grade and to seek truth with the Philosopher’s Stone. Got it?”“……Yeah.”Her attitude was so forthright I couldn’t nitpick; I just nodded.Either way, Trishi’s ability is outstanding. If I just set up the funding, she’ll handle the rest.Then the Philosopher’s Stone research will gain momentum, and the club that had collapsed will gradually come back to life.“Then I’ll be counting on you, Trishi Medici.”I extended my hand for a shake.“Tsk.”Clicking her tongue, Trishi still took my hand and gave it a perfunctory shake.In the end, even after being backstabbed by Loen in the past, Trishi once again joined hands with Loen.***After finishing my conversation with Trishi, I left the Alchemy Club room right away.I wanted to swing by the Monster Purification Studies Club I’d decided to join at Elena’s suggestion, but there was something to do first.Since I’d come all the way to this out-of-the-way corner of Eredor, it was time to handle what I’d put off.‘Search for Dark Magic Stones.’I took a small glass vial from my pocket and looked at the black ore inside.A Dark Magic Stone that emitted pitch-black heat-haze so deep it felt like it would pull you in.It is a magic stone imbued with darkness — residue of magi exuded by a high-ranking demon.It’s presumed that Demer, whom I dealt with earlier, became a man of demonic power after coming into contact with this Dark Magic Stone.Whether that was entirely his choice and will, or the result of Gilean’s intervention, I don’t know.My guess is the latter.He did harbor some ill feelings toward Loen, but he wouldn’t have craved power to the point of bringing himself to death.Rather, the hatred and knots in his heart became the foundation for Gilean’s hand to turn him into a demonized man.Rustle-.Leaving the clubroom, I pushed through the grass and headed to the area where the Dark Magic Stone event was originally supposed to happen.Eredor territory is very wide, and there are broad hills and forests within its grounds.It all belongs to someone, but there are certainly places that aren’t maintained.Dark Magic Stones are drawn to those who harbor darkness in their hearts, or else they themselves hide in deep darkness no hand can reach.And they get absorbed by someone they can parasitize, waiting for a superior host to appear.After pushing through the brush and going deeper for a while, unwelcome guests soon greeted me, surrounding me on all sides.Step-.I stopped there, hands behind my back, and took in the sight of bizarrely large black rats.“Krgrr……”They were called rats, but each had swelled to about the size of a rabbit or a small dog.Their eyes glowed an ominous red, and several more red eyeballs had sprouted here and there across their bodies — backs, ears, tails — making them quite disgusting.Mice that lived nearby had come into contact with a Dark Magic Stone and evolved into a higher species: “Dark Rat.”‘Even if it’s a higher species, it’s still a rat.’Each individual is trivial enough that a grown man could beat it with a decent fight, but in a swarm like this they’re a real pain to deal with.And their reproduction is prodigious, multiplying severalfold, several dozenfold in the blink of an eye.In the game, their numbers swell excessively, clog the Union’s underground waterways, and a particular quest triggers.‘Dark Rat Defense……’A quest where you handle the flood pouring in; it’s quite hard for only so-so rewards.But if you don’t clear it quickly or you fail, the Union’s water and sewage get contaminated and something huge happens.In the end it even triggers an event where the Union temporarily closes — so it’s better to handle it ahead of time when you have the chance.They also make a suitable opponent to test the power of a newly acquired artifact.Clench-.I put on Milia’s Mana Gloves, opening and closing my hand to adjust them for ease of movement.When I moved as if preparing to attack, the Dark Rats surrounding me sensed it and came at me first.Skreek-.They jumped straight for my neck, thrusting out their overly developed sharp incisors.Of course, none of their attacks reached me.Thud-.Ignoring the ones flailing against the Aegis Shield, I pulled a Holy Power potion from my pocket and hurled it to the ground.Clang-.Kieeeek!When the Holy Power potion splashed on them, the Dark Rats convulsed with grotesque cries.With the smell of burning hide, the flesh that the potion touched melted away to the bone.Watching the ones panic and try to flee, I thought:‘To wipe out Dark Rats in one go, you normally need a wide-area spell of flame, lightning, or ice.’But scrolls of that caliber are absurdly expensive, and since they’re not low-grade magic, I can’t memorize them into these Milia’s Gloves.At times like this, melting them with Holy Power potions is efficient.Sizzle-.I poured Holy Power potion around me in a circular ring to keep them from escaping.Dark Rats turned into literal “rats in a jar.”There’s no problem exterminating them as is.‘But before that, there’s something I need to check.’I reached out a gloved hand and touched one of the Dark Rats.Tap-.As soon as the glove made contact, the Dark Rat went limp and fainted.It was due to the stun effect imbued in Milia’s Mana Gloves.If the target were a person, it would paralyze them to the point of not being able to move; since this thing was so small, it outright fainted.Next, another ability of the gloves activated.Whooosh—.The ability to absorb the opponent’s mana on contact.Mana flowing in through the glove.Specifically, the magi of a Dark Rat that had turned into a monster after contact with a Dark Magic Stone was being absorbed into my body.Twitch-.As magi flowed in through the glove, veins bulged along my hand and forearm in response.Ting-.[Current magi contact has increased resonance. Please exercise caution.]A log window popped up before my eyes.It was similar to the situation during the practical exam.Whooosh—.The magi siphoned from the Dark Rat hovered near my body for a moment, unable to be absorbed, then was taken into the Mana Heart within.After confirming even that the Ring of Derode reacted to this magi, I released the Dark Rat from my grip.Thud-.Kkieek!When the stun wore off, the Dark Rat thrashed as if crazed.I poured the remaining Holy Power potion and wiped them all out.Sizzle-.They melted down with strange screams.They’re utterly useless creatures that only spread disease if they exist at all, but thanks to them I learned a few things.First: Milia’s Mana Gloves can absorb the magi of monsters as well.They can be used usefully not only in combat but also against monsters.Second: my body can accept a monster’s magi with little strain.‘Normally you cannot easily assimilate another being’s mana.’Mana is like a mage’s lifeblood; simply absorbing it does not let you immediately use it as your own power.This is implemented in the game system as well: if you do not use the absorbed mana immediately within a certain time or put it through an assimilation process, it naturally dissipates.If it didn’t dissipate, it could cause a backlash and you’d suffer from mana reflux.This is why I’m painstakingly processing Bell’s mana orb.But this Dark Rat’s magi was taken into my body without that assimilation process and did not naturally dissipate.After a brief pause, it was gently absorbed into my Mana Heart, with no backlash at all.‘This is clearly an abnormal phenomenon.’If you can absorb another being’s unique mana, it means you could inherit that being’s karma.From this phenomenon I felt both inspiration and a queasy discomfort.And I judged that clues related to Loen’s true identity must exist in this.But it’s too soon to jump to conclusions, so next time I’ll try absorbing the mana or magi of a higher-ranking monster to test it.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.