Chapter 127
"Whew, it took quite a while to get here."
After destroying the camp of the Imperial hounds and ensuring no traces were left behind, Sieg found it took longer than expected to make his way from Argos to Atlantis.
Upon entering the Fous Seasons Castle, Sieg headed for Summer Rock, where the administrative department was located.
As Sieg, in his disheveled appearance, walked in, other knights whispered as they glanced at him.
"Isn't that Sieg Draker?"
"He took on an A-rank mission alone, and it looks like he failed."
After the initiation ceremony, failing one's first mission meant having to return the Knight Order.
Ignoring the whispers behind him, Sieg continued on toward the administrative department. He approached the clerical office and handed an envelope to the responsible officer.
The officer looked at Sieg in surprise and asked, "Wh-What is this, Sir Sieg Draker?"
"This is the mission completion report. I've attached a personal letter from Golyn Jobern inside. I've also included a letter of verification regarding the letter from the Guild Alliance, so please take a look."
The clerk was left with his mouth agape as he examined the report and attached documents Sieg provided. It was surprisingly neat work for a knight handling his first mission.
After verifying Golyn's letter and the Guild Alliance's verification, the clerk was even more shocked.
"Did you really go to the Barbarian territory and meet Golyn Jobern by yourself?"
"Yes. He was alive and well,"
Sieg replied nonchalantly, rendering the clerk speechless. After all, Sieg had indeed completed an A-rank mission on his own.
"Is it verified?"
At Sieg's question, the clerk snapped back to his senses and nodded.
"Yes, verified. Sir Sieg Draker, your mission has been confirmed as complete."
Sieg received the mission completion certificate from the clerk, left behind the stunned staff of the clerical department, and departed the Four Seasons Castle.
The next place Sieg visited was the hideout where Kay resided.
Upon Sieg's unexpected arrival, Kay was taken aback.
"Boss? Is the mission over already?"
"Yes. But Kay, I have a favor to ask."
Sieg introduced Richmond to Kay and requested a lab and a new identity for him.
Richmond, perceptive as ever, rubbed his hands together nervously as he looked at Kay. "Hehe. I'll be in your care, ma'am."
Upon hearing that Richmond was a Demi Lich, Kay was astonished.
"An undead? He doesn't look it at all."
"Think of him as a variant. Would it be okay for Richmond to stay in Atlantis?"
After scrutinizing Richmond up and down, Kay nodded.
"He doesn't give off an undead vibe, so it should be fine."
Richmond resembled a Nagas, a snake beastman, so they decided to create a new identity for him as one of the Naga race.
Alongside this, Sieg assigned a task to find the Rubern Bloodline.
"How long do you think it will take?"
"Hmm, this should take at least a fortnight."
"Got it. Let me know as soon as you have any information."
Sieg placed Richmond's research materials and a devil-powered artifact from the camp in a gloomy room at the hideout.
"Research what this artifact is. Let me know if you find out anything, no matter how trivial."
"Understood, master. Don't worry."
After delegating tasks to Richmond, Sieg left it to Kay and finally headed toward the estate, after a long time.
"Welcome back, Young Master."
However, Sieg noticed something odd about Decker's expression as he greeted him.
"Decker, what's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Decker, who was usually composed, had an unsettling energy about him.
Sieg felt a commotion from inside the estate at that moment.
'Hmm?'
He left a sighing Decker behind and headed straight for the parlor.
Two teenage boys, whom he had never seen before, were sprawled on the sofa, eating snacks and drinking juice. Crumbs were scattered everywhere, and the walls were stained with strange colors.
Decker, who had followed him, frowned deeply at the sight of the two and trembled with frustration.
Sieg realized that these boys were the reason for Decker's extraordinary patience breaking.
The boys lying on the sofa wore oversized robes for their age. To Sieg's surprise, the robes bore the emblem of official alchemists: overlapping hexagons.
Observing their uncanny resemblance, Sieg tilted his head.
'Could they be...?'
Thoughts raced through his mind.
They were the genius twin alchemists, Al and Jeff.
Noticing Sieg, Al and Jeff sprang up and exclaimed, "It's the sponsor! The sponsor has arrived!"
Despite their youthful faces, Al and Jeff rushed toward Sieg.
Decker stepped in front of Sieg and warned them, "Stop! If you act rudely toward the Young Master, I won't stand idly by!"
Sieg clicked his tongue at Decker's determined stance.
'If the usually composed Decker reacted this way, these kids must have been quite a handful.'
Their faces were cute, but their actions mimicked those of a devil.
Gesturing Decker to step aside, Sieg addressed the twins.
"Al, Jeff. Nice to meet you."
Al grinned broadly and extended his hand.
"Pleasure to meet you, sponsor, I mean, Sir Sieg Draker."
Sieg took Al's hand. At that moment, a message window appeared before him.
『A concoction with a high concentration of laugh mushrooms detected.』
『Constitution - Immunity to Thousand Poisons neutralizes the toxin.』
Known for their mischief, the twins tried to play a prank using a laughter-inducing potion at their first meeting.
When Sieg showed no reaction, Al tilted his head in confusion, and Jeff signaled to Al with his eyes, asking what was happening.
Sieg squeezed Al's hand tighter, causing Al's face to contort in pain.
"Ugh, w-wait, release me..."
Sieg squeezed harder and said with a grin, "The gloves of a pureblood awakener are made from dragon leather, offering excellent elasticity and protection from contaminants. Like laugh mushrooms, for example."
With Sieg's revelation, Al and Jeff were taken aback.
When Sieg released Al's hand, Al stepped back, rubbing it.
"Ugh, I thought my hand was going to break."
Jeff protested to Sieg, "Pulling such a prank doesn't justify breaking the precious hands of an alchemist! Isn't that too much?"
Sieg, sitting on the sofa, responded to the twins, "Had I intended, I could have pulled an arm off entirely, not just a hand."
Faced with the chilling calmness in Sieg's voice, the duo turned pale.
Although they were notorious troublemakers, there was an undeniable aura around Sieg that they couldn't defy.
"Hyung, what should we do? Our plan's been completely thwarted."
"Dammit. We needed to establish dominance right from the start to set the tone."
They tried to whisper as quietly as possible, but Sieg heard everything they said. Internally chuckling, he addressed Al and Jeff, "You seem to have something to say. Speak up quickly; I'm busy."
Al and Jeff sat on the sofa, appearing slightly subdued. Jeff spoke first, "How did you know? That we used laugh mushrooms."
"I don't see why I should tell."
Having been given a curt rebuttal, Jeff clamped his mouth shut. Sieg observed the duo skeptically and said, "I thought I'd provided ample research funds through Sir Feynon. Why seek me out here? I believe I emphasized minimal contact."
Faced with Sieg's sharp gaze and resolute voice, Al and Jeff felt a loss of momentum. Al stammered a response, "It-, it's just that... a p-problem arose..."
Sieg frowned at the mention of a problem. "Problem? Did I pay you over 100,000 gold to create problems?"
Al and Jeff flinched at Sieg's words. Indeed, 100,000 gold was a considerable sum. There was no other sponsor than Sieg who supplied such precious materials freely.
With a meek voice, Al tried to explain cautiously to Sieg, "Well, it-it's not exactly a problem..."
Sieg kept silent, staring at Al with a fixed gaze, which made Al feel even more stifled.
'Creepy... Damn it.'
When Al couldn't articulate his words, Jeff chimed in, "Th-the fermentation isn't working!"
Turning his gaze to Jeff, Sieg asked, "What do you mean by the fermentation isn't working?"
Jeff gulped and explained, "To suppress the addictive properties of Soma and convert it into a pharmaceutical, the ingredients need to undergo fermentation to change composition... Yet, no method has succeeded. N-not at all, Sir."
Hearing Jeff, Sieg pondered deeply. 'So, it cannot ferment.'
Having learned alchemy in a past life, Sieg didn't quite grasp Jeff's statement.
Noticing Sieg's lack of comprehension, Al opened his tool case from the side.
When Al opened it up, a small laboratory seemed to unfold atop the table.
Sieg observed Al's collection of apparatus with fascination.
'I hear alchemists each have their unique toolset. Intriguing. Do they use magic to shrink them down for storage?'
With heightened interest, Sieg examined the beakers and flasks containing various liquids.
Al pointed to one of the flasks.
"This contains the natural raw material of Soma. Our hypothesis is if it undergoes fermentation and changes in composition, it will produce incredible effects."
"What results do you expect from fermentation?"
"Have you heard of antibiotics?"
"You're talking about a drug that prevents infections, right? I believe there are already such drugs existing."
Upon realizing Sieg's familiarity with antibiotics, Al and Jeff were surprised, and they continued.
"The current ones in the market are exorbitantly priced and have severe side effects, potentially causing tissue necrosis where injected."
Listening to Al, Sieg changed his posture.
"If what you're suggesting is true, does that mean the Soma-derived antibiotics would be free of side effects?"
With brightened expressions, Al and Jeff nodded.
"Exactly! But... we're stuck at the fermentation sample stage, unable to move forward in the research."
"Then why come to me? If progress stalls, isn't more research the solution?"
Wearing embarrassed expressions, Al and Jeff confided in Sieg, "Well, it's just that..."
Noticing their expressions, Sieg clicked his tongue in disbelief. "Have you exhausted the budget? Over 100,000 gold?"
Al and Jeff looked away, embarrassed. Given the difficulty of sourcing such expensive materials, no budget could ever seem enough.
Al exclaimed to Sieg, "Please, trust us just one more time and provide research funds! With the completion of these antibiotics, they would become an exceptional pharmaceutical product!"
Sieg studied the pair through narrowed eyes, filled with skepticism. They flashed imploring, eager eyes at Sieg, trying their best to secure the budget.
He shook his head.
"I can't make a decision immediately as I'm unversed in this field. I'll have to ask Sir Feynon when he returns, and I'll inform you afterward."
Faced with Sieg's response, the twins turned pale.
"Th-, the thing is..."
If Feynon were consulted about further funding, it was almost certain he'd refuse.
Feynon had already discovered the twins spent most of their budget on expensive materials, some of which they used for their mischievous potion-making, and reprimanded them thoroughly.
Therefore, they had come to Sieg while Feynon was away on a business trip to the south.
With an uncanny perception, Sieg saw right through the twins' schemes. He clicked his tongue disdainfully and picked up the flask containing Soma.
"What's the point of being skilled if you've lost trust with your superiors? Do you think you can be worth the money?"
His words rendered Al and Jeff speechless. Their usual philosophy was, "Misbehavior sometimes leads to incredible inventions."
But they knew those words wouldn't earn additional funding now—indeed, it might get their arms removed if mentioned.
"Jeff, I think we're done for."
"Ah, I told you not to get involved with Draker, didn't I?"
While the twins exchanged hushed criticisms, Sieg pretended not to hear and focused on the flask containing Soma.
'Is it that hard to ferment this? Isn't fermentation a kind of decay?'
Suddenly intrigued, Sieg decided to playfully use the Authority of Decay.
Bubbling, gurgling!
Instantly, the white powder form of the Soma transformed into a boiling liquid due to Sieg's authority.
Seeing this, the twins were utterly astonished.
"T-That reaction!?"
TL's Corner:
A little bit of MC magic. Glad it isn't just an asspull but already an establish power.