#Chapter 5. Picked Up (3)
Chimera creation.
The act of combining other living beings to create a new life.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t a taboo.
There were only two taboos in alchemy:
Turning stones into gold,and resurrecting the dead.
Gold creation disrupts market balance,and raising the dead goes against God’s will.
Necromancers?They were fundamentally different.Necromancers merely reanimate corpses and manipulate souls.
“Resurrection” was resurrection itself.Recreating a body that had lost life and summoning back the soul – it was nothing short of “God’s miracle.”
Of course, Evan had no intention of attempting such a taboo.“What kind of price do you think you’d pay?”
Alchemy isn’t omnipotent.
Equivalent exchange.Just like paying a fair price when buying something,you must pay the corresponding cost when transmuting something.
Then what’s the cost of creating life?What’s the cost of bringing back a dead soul, reconstructing vanished bodies to their original state, and healing all diseases and wounds?
“Eww, I don’t even want to imagine.”
Evan knew how terrifying the consequences of breaking taboos could be.Not to mention, he wouldn’t dare attempt anything close to it.
Why?Because chaos would come, not just for his life, but for the world.It’s not because transmutation is dangerous or his life is precious.Absolutely not.
“I absolutely must protect my life.”But why does this misunderstanding keep piling up?
Inside the dim study…
Evan rested his chin on steepled fingers, pondering deeply.He had been living quietly.Even during the Theodore runaway incident, he helped despite being suspected as the culprit.
Anything else?Nope.That means he’s been living very quietly.
Now it’s time for good news to spread, right? So why…
“Could there be any problems?”
“Hmm…”
Dolphe, who was dusting the pristine white bedsheet, tilted his head.
“I’m not sure either. Where could we find someone as diligent and quiet as Master…?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”“Gulp gulp?”“Finish eating first.”
Lapis, who was munching on a cucumber, suddenly raised her hand.
“Could it be because of me?”
It’s been three days since Lapis moved into the mansion.She’s already fully adapted.A future sin worthy adaptation speed indeed.
Evan asked Lapis.
“Have you been hitting people around or eating live humans?”“Nope.”
“Did you ask them to help with thread magic then?”
Lapis mainly handled magical threads created through mana manipulation.That was her specialty and hobby.A very wholesome and healthy hobby.
At least she doesn’t shred people into pieces.
“No. I’ve just been helping the ladies with their work…”
“Ladies?”Ah, she means the maids.
…Could it be that her tone is causing strange rumors to spread?
“Hmm. I suggest you stop using the word ‘lady’ for now.”“Understood.”“Did you happen to catch any monsters while helping the maids?”“Are there such things appearing in the mansion? That shouldn’t happen. They taste bad anyway.”“?!”
Taste shouldn’t be the issue.The retort rose to the tip of his tongue but he swallowed it down.
Phew, dodged a bullet.
“Of course not. I was just curious.”“Understood. But… if I did something wrong, would I lose my food?”Lapis pointed at her plate filled with vegetables and fruits, which was almost empty except for a few remaining pieces.
“No, that won’t happen. That’s separate from meals.”“Really?”“Of course.”
Lapis’s face brightened up.Evan discreetly handed over the bell peppers he had set aside.
It’s not that he absolutely didn’t want to eat them.
“Here.”“Wow!”
Lapis devoured the bell pepper.In these three days, Lapis has become almost vegan.
Whatever she eats, it’s vegetables. Again and again.If she feels any aversion to meat, it’s because she rejects it herself.
“For health reasons, she should eat them eventually, but let’s leave it for now.”
What’s important is the present.
She’s changed her eating habits and developed a wholesome hobby.This could be considered a solid foundation for rehabilitation, right?
Evan smiled contentedly.
“Anyway, I need to clear up this misunderstanding.”
How can anyone call this innocent child a chimera?How could they say such terrible things…
“Yay! Now I can make stars too!”“Great job.”
Evan patted Lapis’s head.At that moment, Dolphe, who had briefly left the room, hurried back.
“Master! We’ve finally received a reply!”
“…A reply?”
Dolph handed over a pristine white letter paper to Evan.A familiar seal caught his eye.
Wait, this is…
“The Holy Maiden?”“Yes!”
Dolph couldn’t hide his excitement.
“To receive a reply… Can we treat Master’s illness now?!”
“…Really?”
Even Lapis looked at the letter with hopeful eyes.She had spent three days with Evan by now.It didn’t take long to realize he wasn’t in good health.
“I thought they might look down on me and attack because of my condition, but thankfully they didn’t.”
Instead, they treated him kindly.As if treating an animal trying to earn its meal.
“Hurry up and open it!”“Master! Quickly!”“Alright.”
What if they realize this letter isn’t what they expected?Somehow, it sent shivers down his spine.Carefully rolling up his sleeve, he cautiously opened the letter.
-To Evan Alkarte.-I have received your letter well. Every night, I’ve been unable to sleep.-Wondering why you sent us the first letter and such a precious gift.-But after reading another one of your letters, I realized. The time isn’t right yet.-I’ll wait for the answer to come.-The Holy Maiden of the Sun, Adrianna Saint.-P.S. Did you receive the ‘gift’ we sent?
“…?”
The feeling that arose upon reading the letter was simply “confusion.”
I thought it would be something along the lines of “thank you”, “I’ll definitely return the favor”, “do you like blessings?”, “will you join our school?” etc…What are these cryptic replies?
“Did the reply get mixed up? No, that shouldn’t be it.”
Only the Holy Maiden could use this seal.Definitely not a forgery.
“Hmm, so… she doesn’t understand why I gave the gift?”
Well, it’s understandable that she’d have questions.
Evan and the Holy Maiden have never met.Evan only heard about her reputation.Yet out of nowhere, he sent a potion and a letter?Even if Evan were the Holy Maiden, he’d probably feel cautious.
“So that’s why she’s been losing sleep?”
More sensitive than expected.It seems the gift was well-received.Precious gift.
Meaning, she’s seen its effects, right?
“But ‘the time isn’t right yet’? What does that mean?”
Isn’t this the content of the letter sent to Arthur?Though technically it was written outside the main text.
“Hmm, maybe she received some divine revelation?”
Evan decided to let it go.The Holy Maiden is a character who embodies both sanctity and mysteriousness.Having a bit of strangeness isn’t unusual.
“Considering the DLC factor, this is just a side story.”
In the main story, it was clearly mentioned that Holy Maiden Adrianna and Holy Knight Arthur Modritter had no direct connection.
Would the production team go crazy and change all the settings mentioned in the main story?
“The gift? Seems like it hasn’t arrived yet.”
What kind of gift could it be?It made him somewhat excited.
No one else but the Holy Maiden, right?Being five years ago, it seems she’s still not very good at writing letters.
Hmm!After pondering for a moment, Evan nodded.
“Maybe I’m overthinking it.”
The important thing is, it doesn’t seem like the Holy Maiden views Evan negatively.
“I should send a reply.”
The most important part of a letter is the heart, not the content.
It shouldn’t be a problem to try befriending her, right?
Let’s send the reply right away.Evan took out a new piece of paper and scribbled hastily.
Something along the lines of “let’s get along well”, “we can be good friends”, “what do you enjoy doing normally” etc.To someone else, it might look like a love letter, but Evan was sincere in his own way.
“Just in case, maybe the Holy Maiden will bless me with some luck.”
With a fragile life where you never know when you might collapse.Preparation is essential.
“This should be enough. Dolphe, please deliver this reply.”“Yes! I’ll deliver it right away!”“Lapis? Is there something outside the window?”“Yes…? No. There are bugs flying around outside.”
Lapis looking out the window.Her crimson eyes sparkled with an indescribable light.
Nearby Black Forest.Shadow watched the back of Evan’s servant Dolphe who went out to deliver the letter.
“The Holy Maiden has finally replied.”
Six days.Not a short time.Fortunately, the distance between the center and the Alkarte Dukedom is far, otherwise it could be interpreted as ignoring the letter.
The Holy Maiden must have pondered a lot before sending the reply.
How to avoid offending Evan’s feelings.How to gauge Evan’s intentions.
“Seems like it worked well.”
Shadow rubbed his chin.Everything was going smoothly.The Holy Maiden has started moving, and Arthur’s recovery is gradually showing progress.
“Yesterday evening, he succeeded in infusing aura into his sword.”
Arthur lost his aura abilities years ago.Since the day his only family and younger sister fell ill with a divine ailment and was stripped of her title as a Divine Maiden.He wielded his sword purely with strength ever since.
Now that he’s started infusing aura again.How strong will he become?
It’s starting to get exciting.After all, the growth of one’s master always brings joy to their subordinate.
“Now that I think about it, my teacher should be arriving soon.”
Shadow is an assassin.He had a teacher who taught him assassination techniques.
His teacher was a beggar.Literally.
A wandering beggar-assassin who never settled in one place.Occasionally sent updates to his disciple.
Their method of communication was quite brutal.Letters would arrive accompanied by throwing knives.Sometimes the sound of “heeheeheehee” from his teacher would give him goosebumps.
“If he says he’ll come once, it would be nice to meet him.”
Focus on the mission first.This is a letter for the Holy Maiden.Must ensure it doesn’t get stolen.
“Hello.”
Right then.A polite greeting came from behind.Shadow nodded.
“Hey. Nice t-”
Wait.“Hello”?
Whoosh!
Shadow quickly jumped back.In the spot where he was standing just now,a girl with white hair and red eyes stood calmly.
An otherworldly presence, not quite human.When did she get here?
“You?”
“I’m called Lapis.”“Lapis? You’re that kid rumored to be a chimera, aren’t you?”“That’s unfair. If you say I was created by Him, I’m too unstable.”
…Unstable?He sensed it from her tone.This girl is no ordinary child.
“And still, not bad. If I appear natural enough to be considered His creation.”
Lapis wore a pleased expression.It looked awkward, as if she rarely showed it.
Still, one thing was certain.Lapis was currently dedicating her loyalty entirely to “Evan”.
“In this short time, I’ve learned so much. From speech mannerisms, delicious foods like vegetables and fruits, basic knowledge…”
Rustle-
Cut tree branches and leaves showered down.
“To the ‘peace’ that found its way into my heart.”
Lapis.No, Ilah was always angry.No one knows why.
She’s been like that since birth.Everyone who saw her would feel anger, and she would feel anger in return.But Evan?
“He was different.”
Evan didn’t get angry at seeing Ilah.Used honorifics and always maintained proper etiquette.
Like someone from another world.Impossible, so it must be one thing.
“He knows my fate, doesn’t he?”
Exactly how much does Evan know?And how much can he change?
No, even if he doesn’t change it, it doesn’t matter.Evan.As long as he alone understands and takes care of Ilah, that’s enough.
The sins were beginning to sense their own fates.Symbolizing the power of sins, destined to bring about the end of the world.It’s inevitable.
Such inevitability intruded upon,an impurity that didn’t belong.Small yet precious.
There was no thought of losing it, not even a trace.
“Whether you’re good or evil, I don’t know. But I will protect Him.”
Jingle jangle jingle-The forest began to glow faintly.
Spiderweb-like magical threads spread out,Reflecting moonlight and shining brilliantly.
[Magical Threads – Thread Casting]
The glowing forest.The nearby wandering beast’s body was shredded by the threads, spurting blood.
“I won’t kill you.”“…Damn.”
Shadow quickly twisted his body.At the same time,
Waves of spiderwebs surged forth.
The Holy Maiden looked at the letter with a serious expression.The small bloodstain at the end of the letter.Cold sweat involuntarily trickled down.
“…Huh, hahaha. This is scary.”
The Holy Maiden forced a laugh and opened the letter.Rather, next to it.The attached envelope.
“Is this… a warning?”
Inside was Shadow’s severed arm.
