Chapter 93

"Still no mention of holy water, huh..."

--- It was a day off. I had been scanning through various documents in the library, hoping to find this world's "holy water," but after hours of searching, my concentration was starting to wane. I stretched my back to relieve the tension in my shoulders and then slumped into the chair, leaning back.

"Laura!"

A familiar voice shook my eardrums. When I turned around, as expected, it was Iris. She approached with a smile and sat down next to me. Curious about what I was reading, she peered over my shoulder. I couldn't help but ask her,

"Hey, Iris, do you know about holy water?"

After a few seconds, Iris tilted her head.

"Holy water?"

"Yes, the sacred water that monsters hate."

I had a faint hope that it might be part of the lore passed down among the people of Rustu, but Iris blinked several times and then tilted her head in the opposite direction. It seemed she had no idea. However, she then folded her arms as if deep in thought and suddenly stood up with a shout.

"How about mixing everything that monsters hate? Like poisonous herbs and the water of the spirits!"

--- Iris's suggestion was something I had never even considered. I had never mixed poisonous herbs with the water of the spirits, nor had I ever thought about it. Poisonous herbs are items that deal damage, while the water of the spirits heals damage. Mixing the two seemed like it would neutralize their effects, but I realized it was too early to make a judgment without actually trying it. I closed the document in front of me and muttered,

"Let's give it a try."

Iris smiled happily at my words and took my hand, helping me stand up. We returned the documents to their original places and left the library together. As I watched her smaller back, which was pulling my hand, I felt the corners of my mouth turn up. Iris's boldness was something I lacked, and it was something I needed. Despite being in a position to teach her, I realized I had much to learn from her and Basilio.

***

Iris and I were heading to the castle's herb garden to pick poisonous herbs when I saw a familiar man walking down the corridor. He was tall and slender with dark blue hair. It was Basilio.

"Ah, Basilio!"

"Laura, Iris, hello. Where are you going?"

"We're going to make holy water!"

The unfamiliar term "holy water" made Basilio tilt his head, just like Iris had earlier.

"Holy water?"

"The sacred water that monsters hate!"

"Are you making water?"

Basilio's calm question made me feel a bit embarrassed. Indeed, concocting something called "holy water" sounded rather odd. I chuckled and added to Iris's words,

"We're thinking of a way to counter monsters... So we decided to mix everything that monsters hate, and we're going to start by picking poisonous herbs."

"Let's go, Basilio!"

Iris took Basilio's hand with the one not holding mine and pulled him along. Basilio smiled and said, "I'll come along," without much resistance. The three of us, Iris, Basilio, and I, walked to the herb garden, holding hands, looking like a happy family.

"Alright, let's start by picking a few random poisonous herbs."

Iris nodded vigorously, and Basilio nodded gently. I nodded back at them, and we all sat down near the poisonous herbs, starting to pick them. We wore gloves carefully to avoid touching the poisonous herbs with our bare skin. As I picked a certain poisonous herb, Basilio, looking at my hand, explained smoothly,

"This poisonous herb, when boiled, releases a strong toxin from its roots. The roots are less viscous than the leaves and mix more easily with other ingredients."

I was impressed by this new information.

"I didn't know that. You're very knowledgeable."

I looked up at Basilio, and he seemed startled, then smiled with a slightly awkward expression.

"Actually, when I kept failing the royal alchemist exams, I considered pursuing a different path without telling my mother."

When I heard Basilio's words, I recalled the day of the exam results when his mother bowed to me. Basilio had said that being a royal alchemist was his mother's dream. He must have gone through many difficult days, failing the exams repeatedly before finally passing.

"At that time, I thought there were alchemists who specialized in healing potions, but no one specialized in poisons. I thought that if I could master poisons, which had fewer competitors, I might be able to achieve something."

I nodded in agreement with Basilio's words. In this world, the profession of an alchemist exists, but there is no such thing as a poison specialist. While poisonous herbs are part of an alchemist's duties, they are rarely needed because combating monsters is the job of knights and mages. I, too, had not read as many documents on poisonous herbs as I had on medicinal herbs, and I was still quite lacking in knowledge.

"I don't have much physical strength, so studying was my only option."

I shook my head reflexively at the self-deprecating Basilio. The time it took him to pass the exam was certainly a significant factor, but he seemed to lack confidence in himself. I was sure he had read far more documents than most, and his foundational knowledge was solid. He had every reason to be confident.

"You're a great help! I'm a novice when it comes to poisons, so please teach me."

Basilio blushed but smiled happily at my request.

--- After picking a variety of poisonous herbs, it was time to concoct the mixture. We returned to our alchemy room and began preparing to mix the poisons. We put on protective masks and gloves, and gathered the poisonous herbs and the water of the spirits. Both Iris and Basilio had experience with mixing poisons, but I reviewed the proper way to wear the masks and then we faced the alchemy table, ready to begin. That's when I realized a crucial fact.

(I can't test the effects of the mixture myself after mixing the poisonous herbs...)

--- Given that it contained poisons, unlike healing potions, we couldn't test it on ourselves. While I had no intention of testing something meant for the Demon King on myself, I hadn't considered how to test the effectiveness of the prototype. I looked down at the poisonous herbs we had picked and pondered. Even if we were to use it on a monster, we needed to be prepared with an alternative method in case it turned out to be ineffective. It seemed we would need the help of the knights, and I clenched my fist, determined to take the next step.