Lucas made it back to his room and immediately pulled out Henrik's journal again.

He still had a few hours before he needed to sleep, and he wanted to prepare some basic potions for tomorrow's journey.

The alchemy lab in the academy basement was supposed to be accessible to students at all hours. It was one of the perks of being enrolled in an institution that wanted independent study.

Lucas gathered a few empty vials from his supplies and headed down.

The lab was mostly empty at this hour, with only two other students working at separate stations. Neither paid him any attention as he found an open workspace and began pulling ingredients from the communal stores.

Sulfur powder, charcoal, sugar. It was everything he needed for the basic smoke bombs.

The ingredients for the adhesive resin were also available, though he had to substitute crushed crab shell for the beetle carapace Henrik's recipe called for.

Lucas worked methodically, following Henrik's precise instructions. The smoke bombs were simple enough. He just needed to have careful measurement and proper sealing in the thin glass spheres the lab provided.

The adhesive resin was trickier. He had to maintain exact temperature control while mixing, and the fumes made his eyes water even with the lab's ventilation system.

But after an hour of careful work, he had five smoke bombs and three vials of combat-grade adhesive. Not bad for a night's work.

[Alchemy skill increased: Beginner (12/100) → Beginner (24/100)]

[Host is making adequate progress. At this rate, Host will reach Intermediate level in approximately two months.]

"Unless I find a way to practice more efficiently," Lucas said, carefully packing his creations into a padded case.

[True. System suggests Host consider establishing a permanent alchemy workspace. Hotel rooms and academy labs are suboptimal for consistent practice.]

That was actually a good point. Once he returned from this trip, he should look into renting a small space in the city. Somewhere he could work without worrying about other students or staff asking questions.

He cleaned up his workspace and headed back to his room, exhaustion finally catching up with him.

Tomorrow would be a long day. He needed to rent a horse, travel at least six hours to reach Marie's family estate, and still have energy left to deal with whatever situation he found there.

Lucas set his packed bag by the door, double-checked that he had his emergency talismans and Henrik's potions, and finally allowed himself to collapse into bed.

Sleep came quickly, though his dreams were chaotic. There were fragments of fireworks and Lydia's confession, fragments of the attempted regicide by the Legion, fragments of running from the boss monsters and fragments of playing Aquestius.

---

He woke before dawn to the sound of bells marking the early morning hour. Lucas dressed quickly in traveling clothes. It was durable but not obviously expensive, the kind that wouldn't attract bandits' attention.

The city stables were a fifteen-minute walk from the academy. Lucas arrived just as they were opening, the stable master still rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"How can I help you?" the man grunted.

"I need to rent a horse for about four days. Something reliable for long-distance travel."

The stable master looked him over. "You know how to ride?"

"Yes." The previous Lucas had learned it, and those skills seemed to still remain in this body.

It was one of the few useful things about being transmigrated into a noble's son because every noble had to learn horseriding.

"Four days, you said? That'll be eight silver. Ten if you want one of the better horses."

Lucas paid the ten silver without haggling. A better horse meant faster travel and fewer problems on the road.

The stable master led him to a sturdy-looking mare with a glossy brown coat. "This is Copper. She's steady, won't spook easy, and knows the roads around here. Treat her well and she'll get you where you need to go."

Lucas ran his hand along Copper's neck. The horse nickered softly and bumped his hand with her nose.

"We'll get along fine," Lucas said.

After getting Copper saddled and his bags secured, Lucas mounted up and guided her toward the city's eastern gate.

The streets were mostly empty at this hour, with only a few early-rising merchants setting up their stalls.

The gate guards waved him through without question. After all, students traveling during breaks wasn't unusual.

And then he was outside the city walls for the first time in this life, following the road east as the sun finally crested the horizon.

Just beyond the city walls, the land opened into a wide, uninterrupted plain. Tall grass swayed in long, uneven waves, brushing against patches of wildflowers scattered like small sparks of color.

Dirt paths cut thin lines through the open field, worn smooth by carts and travelers heading toward distant villages.

Farther out, the green slowly darkened where the plain met a broad stretch of forest, the trees clustered tightly together in a deep, shadowed mass.

Beyond that, rising above everything, stood a mountain range and it's jagged peaks fading into pale blue as they reached the horizon.

[System notes that Host should remain alert for potential threats along route. Bandit activity has increased since the Legion attack.]

"Thanks for the warning," Lucas said, adjusting his sword to make sure it was easily accessible.

The road was well-maintained near the capital, with regular patrols keeping it relatively safe. But Lucas knew that would change the further he traveled from Lerastad's direct influence.

Copper maintained a steady trot, covering ground efficiently without exhausting herself. Lucas let his mind wander as they rode, going over everything he knew about Marie's situation.

Her family, despite being one of the branches of the Royal Family, only held a minor barony in the eastern reaches of the kingdom.

They were merchants but also specialized in textile production and specifically, the processing of silk from a particular species of moth native to their region.

According to the game's lore, Marie's family had been approached about a political marriage several times but had always managed to avoid it due to unreasonable demands due to being the only one of her generation in the family.

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