Chapter 94

While Iris and Basilio were in the middle of a synthesis, the door to the synthesis room was suddenly knocked on. I instinctively replied, "Yes!" to the other side of the door.

I asked the two juniors to pause the synthesis for a moment—since we were handling poisonous herbs, it was a precaution in case of an emergency—and opened the windows wide to ventilate. After a few breaths, I opened the door and said, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Standing there was Arnold, his eyes slightly widened.

"Amper, you're here?"

"Arnold? Why are you here?"

"Lord Lukas sent a letter."

Holding out the envelope, it was my turn to widen my eyes. Why did Arnold bring it personally? From his tone, it seemed he had been looking for me.

Arnold pushed the envelope closer to my face, urging me to take it. I snapped out of my surprise and hastily accepted it.

"Thank you for bringing it. I appreciate it."

I thanked him and lowered my gaze to the envelope. As I stared at my name written in Lukas's handwriting, Arnold whispered in a voice that the two juniors couldn't hear.

"We've had several discussions with Lord Reinhardt about the execution date, but we haven't reached a conclusion yet. ...What about Lord Lukas?"

Arnold's question made me realize his reason for being here. He wanted to know as soon as possible whether Lukas would come to the experiment site.

I hurriedly opened the envelope. Skimming through the letter from my childhood friend—feeling a bit guilty for doing so—I found the "answer" Arnold was looking for.

"He says he'll come. He'll leave the village as soon as he receives the letter."

"Who's coming?"

Suddenly, Iris's voice cut in. At almost the same time, a warm embrace came from behind. It must have been Iris.

Surprised, I turned around and answered with a smile.

"My childhood friend is coming to visit."

At the word "childhood friend," Iris seemed to realize that the hero was coming to the capital. She looked a bit awkward, with a vague smile on her face, unsure of what expression to show.

"Is your childhood friend coming?"

In response to Basilio's question, I raised my gaze from Iris, who was looking at me. He seemed to be observing my reaction with interest.

I wondered if there would be time to introduce Lukas to the juniors, but I opened my mouth to speak.

"Lukas, a boy. If you'd like, I can introduce you to him."

Half as a formality, half seriously. Given the Elvira situation, Iris and Lukas would inevitably meet, but Basilio nodded in agreement.

As I imagined the scene of the juniors and my childhood friend talking, I turned back to Arnold. He seemed surprised by the presence of Iris and Basilio behind me, his eyes slightly widened.

"Is this a holiday training session?"

"We happened to meet while doing research."

Arnold chuckled at the term "holiday training session." Although Iris and Basilio had joined of their own accord, what we were doing was indeed a holiday training session. We were using the synthesis room, a facility of the royal castle, so it would be best to make the appropriate application after the break.

I was thinking about talking to Casper about the arrangements after the break when Arnold glanced behind me and asked,

"Are you synthesizing poison?"

He guessed the content of our training from a distance. Of course, with the protective masks still on the table, it was easy to figure out.

I hesitated to use the word "demon king" in front of Basilio, who didn't know the situation, so I vaguely replied,

"We're looking for a way to counteract monsters."

Arnold folded his arms as if deep in thought. Then he said,

"Can I join if it's not a bother?"

His unexpected offer caught me off guard. If Arnold joined, it would be a good experience for Iris and Basilio. As a trainer, I would love to have him, but there was one concern.

"That would be very helpful, but... aren't you busy?"

"I have some free time now. Is it okay?"

Arnold directed his question not to me but to Iris and Basilio, who were standing behind me. Basilio, seemingly nervous, straightened his back, while Iris wore her usual innocent smile. Their contrasting reactions made me smile.

As I waited for their responses along with Arnold,

"Yes! Of course!"

"Sure!"

They replied energetically—Basilio's voice cracked a bit.

Arnold looked at me for final confirmation. I nodded and immediately started preparing a protective mask for Arnold. The three of us lined up in front of the synthesis table: Iris, Arnold, and Basilio. The table was not large enough for four people to work simultaneously, so I decided to observe.

Once the three of them, wearing their protective masks, were lined up,

"I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Arnold Rocco."

He offered his hand to the two juniors. They had probably met a few times before, but this was the first proper introduction. Iris had spoken to Arnold in the synthesis room before, but they had never formally greeted each other.

"I'm Basilio Essen. And this is..."

"Iris Haltoe!"

Basilio and Iris both shook Arnold's hand. After a brief introduction, they immediately started the synthesis.

First, Arnold quickly demonstrated the synthesis of poison, which Iris and Basilio watched with interest. Impressed by his skill and accuracy, I observed the juniors, who were watching Arnold's hands intently. Both Basilio and Iris, despite the circumstances, had never slacked off or taken a casual attitude since becoming apprentice synthesists. They always took my advice seriously, and I felt fortunate to have such dedicated juniors.

After Arnold finished, it was Iris and Basilio's turn to synthesize under his watchful eye.

"Your technique is good, Essen."

"Ah, no, that's too kind of you to say."

"Basilio, you're too nervous!"

Basilio, flustered, spoke in a slightly odd tone, while Iris laughed heartily. Arnold promptly pointed out,

"Haltoe, your enthusiasm is commendable, but your movements are too rough. Given that you're handling poison, it's better to be more careful."

"Okay!"

Arnold's precise feedback made Iris nod. In the next synthesis, she took twice as long, working more slowly. Iris was innocent and very sincere.

I watched the three of them with a smile, but after a while, I decided to go to the courtyard to collect some leaves and twigs to test the poison. Strong poisons can dissolve the skin of monsters, so they should dissolve the surface of leaves and twigs. However, this method would only show whether the poison was toxic, not whether it would be effective against monsters—specifically, the demon king.

I needed to find a better testing method soon, but for now, I gathered some leaves and twigs and returned to the synthesis room. When I got back, the three of them had already synthesized several poisons. I waited for the right moment to speak without interrupting their work.

"I've collected some leaves and twigs. Let's try dripping the poison on them to see if the surface dissolves."

Iris was the first to jump at my suggestion, holding the container of the poison she had synthesized and rushing over.

I reminded her that it was dangerous to hold the poison and took the container from her. I laid out the leaves and twigs on a board and dripped a few drops of the liquid. The result was—no reaction.

"There's no reaction... There's no smell either, so it's possible that the toxicity has completely disappeared."

There was no reaction or smell. Although it was just a quick test, it seemed that the effect had completely disappeared.

Unfortunately, I had a good idea why this was happening.

"The effect of the spirit's drinking water is likely too strong, neutralizing the other effects."

Arnold, who was looking at me, nodded slightly, probably thinking the same thing. I recalled the days of struggling to find a cure for Elvira's self-destruction disease by combining the spirit's drinking water with various herbs, only to see no results.

"Let's try more!"

Iris brought the poisons synthesized by Arnold and Basilio, but the results were the same. The leaves didn't dissolve, and there was no smell. It was highly likely that the toxicity had disappeared.

"Even if the poison is non-toxic and harmless to humans, it might still be effective against monsters."

Basilio's words made everyone nod. Currently, we were using toxic poisons as materials, so we could use the visible effect—such as dissolving the surface of leaves—as a measure. However, non-toxic items could also be effective against monsters. The Holy Water from "Last Brave" was a good example.

The possibility was extremely low, but it wasn't zero that one of these, which didn't dissolve the leaves, could have a significant effect on monsters.

"Maybe we should test it on a monster..."

Iris's words were reasonable. Testing on a monster would be the best way. However, it wasn't that simple.

I tried to lighten the mood, which was starting to sink, and suggested,

"Let's write down the synthesis methods and save them. Regarding the testing on monsters, I'll consult various people."

The Schvaria Knights or—Lukas. The image of my childhood friend's smile came to mind, but I thought it might be too much to rely on him. Lukas, being kind, would try to help if he knew I was in trouble. He was planning to visit the capital soon. However, after asking for his help with Elvira and now the poison experiment—

I swallowed a sigh and continued the synthesis.

Thank you for always reading my work.

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