My task is simple.
The debuff currently afflicting :
[Health Continuous Reduction E (Growth-type. Irremovable)]
This one is a debuff that I’ll have to carry for the rest of my life.
“Well, if I calculate it, it seems like it decreases by about 0.1 every two hours. Cough.”
When I cough, a bit of blood cos up along with my saliva.
That’s not a good sign. It ans there’s damage to the lining of my lungs or intestines.
“The health reduction manifests as internal injuries. That’s the key point.”
It’s impossible to surgically remove the symptoms by treating the internal organs. After all, it’s an irremovable debuff.
In other words, it’s an incurable disease.
“Well then, the solution is simple.”
I just need to create a dicinal agent to treat the internal bleeding and take it.
The effect: Health recovery, more than 0.1 every two hours.
“Luckily, I have a good idea for a redy.”
I imdiately stepped out of the room. After a deep sleep, my body felt refreshed.
It was still early dawn. The faint light seeping through the bluish sky gently touched the backyard.
I ran toward the place, feeling a bit like a child again as the cool breeze brushed against .
“This is kind of exciting.”
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d actually be making dicine in this world.
My steps felt as light as when I’d rush to buy a newly released ga.
“This thing... it had a peculiar effect.”
Without hesitation, I plucked a stem.
A yellow rose that Asella had picked one by one, with much deliberation.
They’re rare, but not exactly a precious species. I’d seen occasional mutations of it even in the demon realm while hunting the Four Heavenly Kings.
When you brew tea with the petals of the yellow rose, it has a remarkable effect in neutralizing the toxins adhering to the lung or stomach lining.
I’d learned that through countless regressions after trying every possible thod.
In the end, I’d searched for every hidden elent in my desperate attempts to clear the ga.
“It’s definitely useful.”
I plucked dozens of roses and stuffed them into my bag.
Back in my room, I spread them out across the table.
After plucking only the petals one by one, a soft, yellow mound quickly piled up.
“It’s like preparing chicken breast nuggets.”
With the materials ready, my mood lifted.
It felt like I had my own little factory now.
I grabbed a handful of petals and placed them down.
“First, I need to reduce the volu.”
The goal was to compress it into a pill-sized form that could be taken in one gulp.
“Compression.”
I tried using the alchemy-related E-rank skill, Compression.
The thod naturally ca to mind. It was as if my body instinctively knew what to do.
But this...
“It feels like using magic.”
The process was similar to casting a spell.
I spread my palm and let my mana flow through.
A soft, white mana gently enveloped the rose petals.
Clench! With a tight fist in mid-air, the petals crumpled as if vacuum-packed.
“Oh.”
I wiggled my fingers, adjusting the shape ticulously.
Finally, it was complete — in the form of a pill.
“For a first attempt, that’s pretty good.”
Though it was a bit lopsided, well...
Seeing the bright yellow dicinal pill brought a sense of accomplishnt.
Now then, let’s see what the status window says.
―――――――――――
Yellow Rose Petal Health Pill (Refined)
Effect upon consumption: Restores 0.1 health over 6 hours from internal bleeding.
―――――――――――
“Yes, that’s it. Just as expected.”
The effect was precisely what I aid for.
However, the dosage was only a third of what I needed.
In that case, I could just use the skill again.
“Enhancent.”
I intended to increase the potency of the yellow pill.
But as I tried to activate the skill...
“Huh.”
I instinctively halted as I tried to emit mana like I did with Compression.
It felt as though there was another step required — a step I couldn’t quite grasp.
“Is it not just that?”
Compression is E-rank, but Enhancent is D-rank.
D-rank skills aren’t just about emitting mana, right?
“But it shouldn’t require magic power.”
Magic power was only necessary when casting magic.
Alchemy skills, as long as you knew the thod, could be executed using mana alone.
“Ugh.”
After struggling for a while, I still couldn’t activate the Enhancent skill.
Considering I’d never failed to cast a healing spell before, the failure felt rather unsettling.
“What should I do? Cough, cough.”
As I pondered, my health continued to decrease.
Before I knew it, breakfast ti had already passed.
“I need to get so help.”
Soone who’s a master at spells.
“There’s one person who fits that description.”
Actually, she’s beyond a master — she’s at the very pinnacle.
But is it really necessary to ask Asella?
It’s just a D-rank skill. In terms of magic, it’s only second-tier, not that complicated.
“Well, I do have a reason to see her anyway.”
I could use that as an excuse to ask her to teach the skill.
I packed the pill and headed to Asella’s room.
***
“The Princess is expecting you.”
The head maid blocking the entrance to the room intercepted like an impenetrable wall.
I’d rushed to find Asella, but now I was being made to wait.
Not to ntion, I’d already been delayed after being held up by Father.
―Lass, are you feeling alright? Co here. Let cast a healing spell on you myself. You must be exhausted from overexerting yourself. It’d be terrible if you collapsed again!
I had a hard ti prying my arm away from his grip as he fussed over .
Sure, Father could restore a bit of my health imdiately, but this debuff is sothing I’d have to live with for the rest of my life.
Finding my own solution was more important, and the key to that was with Asella.
I reached the terrace outside Asella’s room.
Having nothing else to do, I stood there idly.
“Oh, Max. Did you sleep well?”
Fortunately, Max ca bounding over to keep company, wagging his tail energetically.
This guy didn’t seem to realize how massive he was. Every ti he shoved his face at , the sheer weight of his body hit like a wall.
Guess he wanted his face petted. I squeezed and rubbed Max’s squishy cheeks, playing with him for a while until...
Clack.
The balcony door slid open.
“You’re being noisy so early in the morning. What do you want?”
Asella appeared.
She looked just as impeccable as yesterday, every strand of hair perfectly in place.
“A good morning to you, esteed lady. Did you sleep well...?”
“Get to the point.”
Asella’s expression was sour.
Was she in a bad mood? Did I just walk right into a minefield?
If I turned around and said it was nothing, that would probably annoy her even more.
I shouldn’t have co.
“I’d like you to teach how to use a spell.”
“A spell, you say?”
“Yes.”
The frown on Asella’s forehead eased just slightly.
She sat down in front of .
“You’ve gained a talent.”
“Yes, it’s alchemy.”
“Huh, that’s unexpected.”
Asella’s deep golden eyes scanned from head to toe, as though dissecting .
For so reason, it felt as if she were prying into every inch of my body.
“Do you know what my talent is?”
“Magic. And an extraordinary amount of it.”
“You’re well-inford. I have two.”
“Two?”
“Two talents. Both related to magic.”
“Oh.”
So that’s how she can summon dragon legions or cause continent-shattering earthquakes with her insane magic.
Of course. She’s Asella, after all.
“You’re not surprised.”
“Huh?”
“You're not surprised that I have two talents?”
“Oh, well...”
I nearly jumped. She just ca out and said it like that.
“Why would I be surprised? Soone like you, Your Highness, naturally has extraordinary abilities.”
“Fine, let's say that’s the case. So, what spell do you want to learn?”
“Technically, it’s how to use a spell. I gained a talent and can use alchemy now, but for so reason, I can’t activate the spell.”
“Show .”
I took out a handkerchief and carefully placed it on the table. Inside, a bright yellow pill was revealed.
“Enhancent.”
I tried to activate the Enhancent spell. Mana flowed from my hand but dispersed aimlessly like a heat haze.
“This is what keeps happening.”
“Draw a shape with your mana.”
“A shape?”
Now that she ntioned it, I vaguely rembered Asella talking about shapes and three-dinsional figures in the past.
Back then, I’d let it go in one ear and out the other since magic wasn’t my thing.
“Watch.”
Asella extended a delicate, pale finger. Mana trickled from her fingertip.
Her mana shimred with a golden hue, forming a line, then a circle composed of two concentric rings.
“A circle.”
“It’s the simplest yet most perfect shape. The number of vertices is zero. If you inscribe a formula along the outer ring, that’s a magic circle.”
“Do you always have to inscribe a formula?”
“A formula is nothing special. It’s just writing down knowledge in letters.”
Asella began inscribing text.
The inscription read: [Flas shall rise].
“It’s even better if you condense it.”
The sentence along the outer ring rged, forming a single symbol.
A rune. It symbolized fire.
Two circles and one rune.
A simple, minimalist structure of mana.
“If you lightly spin it, it’s ready.”
With a flick, Asella touched the outer rim, and the magic circle began to rotate counterclockwise.
“That’s the activation step. Now, when you pour mana into it, it will cast.”
Whoosh!
The magic circle radiated with Asella’s golden light. She was pouring in a large amount of mana.
Then, whoosh!
A blazing fla erupted from the magic circle, shooting up into the sky. It looked like a sudden firework display.
“Now, you try.”
She demonstrated it so easily and expected to do the sa.
How generous of her.
Apparently, she thought the whole world was filled with geniuses like herself.
“Sigh.”
I started by channeling mana to form a shape.
A circle was too difficult, so I started with a triangle.
“How’s this?”
“Hmph.”
I had no idea what /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ her reaction ant.
Say sothing.
It’s my first ti doing this.
I inscribed the text along the outer rim.
Alright, what I needed was a health recovery effect.
Instead of “healing,” I used the word “treatnt.” This distinction was crucial.
That way, the dicine would align with my dical skill and its effects.
[Increase Health Treatnt Effect].
I painstakingly inscribed the words. This part felt harder than anything else.
I really needed to study and develop so shorthand symbols.
“That’s wrong. Look, the formula has to be inside the shape—”
Asella reached out, seemingly frustrated, as if she was going to correct my spell.
But then she stopped.
Our hands brushed for a split second.
‘Was she really that annoyed?’
Asella avoided my gaze, staring intently at the inscription.
“Your Highness?”
“...Just stay quiet for a mont.”
She whipped her head away.
Was she trying to figure out how to fix this ss of a spell?
For soone usually so composed, she was now fidgeting with her hand as if she were distracted.
I looked down at her hand.
A linen bandage still wrapped around her index finger caught my eye.
“By the way, how’s your wound? Is it healing well?”
Before I knew it, my hand reached out, but Asella quickly yanked her hand away to the opposite side.
“Focus.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She was really taking this magic lesson seriously.
Even though it was just an alchemy spell, my clumsy attempt seed to be getting on her nerves.
[No. 056: Villainess’s Wrath 7%]
The probability of a bad ending hadn’t increased.
Thankfully, she wasn’t going to kill over sothing like this.
At least she still had so basic sense of restraint.
I tried casting the spell again.
Whoosh!
“Oh.”
The magic circle glowed faintly with a grayish light.
That ant the casting was successful.
“What? It actually worked right away?”
It wasn’t as difficult as I thought.
And here she was, acting all annoyed and making a big deal out of it.
“Your Highness, it worked.”
Asella blinked several tis, her long lashes fluttering.
“Well... you should at least be able to do that much.”
So, it was just that simple.
“It’s a second-tier spell. A promising commoner could master it in a few years. It’s not unheard of to get it right on the first try... But, where did the additional formula go?”
Asella muttered to herself.
Indeed, whenever magic was involved, her words seed to multiply.
Was she impressed that I got it right on my first try?
“Did Your Highness manage to cast a spell perfectly on the first attempt as well?”
“Of course I did. Who do you think I am?”
“Why, the unrivaled magic prodigy, Princess Asella.”
“You know well. Keep up that attitude.”
She seed pleased with my response, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.
If she wanted to smile, she could just do it properly.
Why only one side? It felt unsettling.
Ah, maybe she didn’t want to notice. Judging by how only her left corner lifted — the side away from my view.
Her pride was sothing else.
‘Anyway, the spell succeeded on the first try.’
I checked the result — the pill.
―――――――――――
Enhanced Yellow Rose Petal Health Pill (Refined)
Effect upon consumption: Restores 0.3 health over 6 hours from internal bleeding.
―――――――――――
Perfect. Now it had the precise specs to counteract the debuff.
“Did you make that with a spell?”
“Yes, I did.”
“What is it?”
She’d never seen it before, after all.
“It’s dicine. Let’s call it a consumable item with healing effects.”
“A consumable? There aren’t any cooking spells. It’s alchemy, right?”
“That’s right. Think of it as combining dicine and alchemy.”
“Really? And what does it do?”
“It restores health.”
“Let see.”
Asella picked up the rose pill and popped it into her mouth.
Hey, that’s my pill.
“Ugh!”
The next mont, her face twisted like she’d bitten into a wad of crumpled newspaper. She spat it out with a grimace.
“What is this? How can anything taste this bitter? Did you make poison instead of dicine?”
She grabbed a cup of tea and gulped it down desperately.
Watching her flustered expression gave a strange sense of satisfaction.
A smile crept up before I could suppress it.
No, don’t laugh. I am sad. I am very, very sad.
Phew.
“Please don’t waste it. I made it for myself in the first place.”
I picked up the rose pill she’d spat out and swallowed it in one gulp.
Man, it really was bitter.
The taste was awful, like swallowing the dregs of burnt herbs.
[Health is decreasing]
[Health is increasing]
But thanks to that, my health depletion stopped.
The amount lost and the amount gained balanced each other out, keeping my health stable.
If I made these in large quantities, I wouldn’t have to worry about the debuff for a while.
But then, Asella was staring at , her mouth slightly open, a stunned expression on her face.
“Did you just eat what I spat out?”
“It was mine to begin with. I worked hard to make it.”
“Uh, well... Forget it.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Asella turned her gaze away, falling into a brief, awkward silence.
With nothing more to say, I stood up to leave.
“Well then, I’ll be going now.”
“Where are you going?”
Why now?
“Um... since Your Highness must be tired from teaching the spell, I thought you’d want to rest.”
“I need to collect my paynt.”
“Paynt? But the lesson was already the paynt, wasn’t it?”
“You made eat that horrid thing.”
You took it yourself. This is absurd.
“Hey, didn’t you say the streets below the estate are full of interesting things?”
Did I? I think I said sothing like that to bluff in front of the Empress.
Asella leaned in close, her eyes gleaming with excitent.
“I want to go there.”
“Why are you whispering?”
“Because we’re going in secret.”
Oh boy. Looks like she’s latched onto another strange idea.
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