LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 99
It didn’t take much time, but when all preparations were finally complete,
of course, there was bound to be some commotion.
However, they agreed to the expert’s constant persuasion.
Yet the doubts couldn’t be shaken off.
The guardian, Elizabeth, exchanged suspicious glances between Catherine, Robin, Karem, and the bright red oil in his hand.
“Atanitas, no. Catherine. Is this really effective?”
“Um, I understand your anxiety.”
“The oil extracted from the Fire Witch Finger? It’s not a potion?”
Karem nodded unconsciously at Elizabeth’s inquiries.
The guardian’s doubts were justifiable.
Fire Witch Finger.
It was a plant recently known as a poisonous weed that was rapidly spreading throughout Iceland, centered around Coldon, regardless of class or race.
But it’s not something you eat.
Moreover, to extract it in raw form instead of processing it into a potion is just…
To be frank, it felt crude.
For a Grand Wizard’s prescription, it seemed quite flimsy.
“An oil extracted from the components and vitality of the Fire Witch Finger. It could be called an ingredient. Are there no potions?”
“Of course, there are potions, though they’re rare for the third prince; it’s not that they don’t exist.”
“Then—”
“But there isn’t enough time and the situation is not favorable for use right now. The warmth potion is still incomplete. It would be more effective to use the raw ingredient instead.”
Catherine shook her head while watching the maid pouring warm water into the prince’s mouth.
“More than anything, the third prince’s body is weaker than expected.”
“That’s a chronic condition of mine and my son Robin.”
“Ordinary bodies of that age—if it were the previous condition, using a potion wouldn’t be a problem, but in his current state, he can’t endure the potion’s effects.”
“Ah.”
“Of course, it’s not impossible to make a potion specialized for Prince Robin.”
If it’s a cliché, then it is.
It’s obvious—custom-made products tend to have better quality and effects than mass-produced ones. But—
“As you know, specialized potions—”
“Take a long time to make, right? I’ve heard that before.”
“You would wish for Prince Robin to recover as soon as possible, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course, that’s natural for a parent.”
“Then it won’t be a problem. However—”
Catherine, having barely won the argument against the wall, lowered her head diagonally.
“Kid. I’m asking now, but I ordered finely ground Fire Witch Finger.”
“This is Fire Witch Finger oil.”
“My question hasn’t changed.”
“Prince Robin isn’t himself right now, is he?”
Catherine stared at Karem with a look that questioned whether he didn’t realize this.
Then, the only answer the boy could give was one.
“Then this is better than using it raw.”
Catherine’s plan was to grind raw Fire Witch Finger into a paste and feed it to him, but Karem modified her command as he wished.
Feeding a confused patient solid food before making them eat raw Fire Witch Finger—where would that type of magical recipe come from?
“By the way, this is going to be really spicy.”
“Normally, they’d just spit it out before even eating.”
“Of course. Huh? Normal?”
“Put a bowl on the storage shelf next to the bed.”
Karem obediently placed the bowl down.
Catherine immediately wrapped her magic around her finger and waved lightly.
The magic scattered, forming a spell. The Fire Witch Finger oil in the bowl lifted into the air.
“Oh, is that telekinesis?”
“Yeah. Maid over there. Step aside for a moment. And open the prince’s mouth.”
Following Catherine’s words, the maid quickly moved away from the bed. A bit of the water resting in the bowl floated into the air. The droplet that touched the oil spread thinly, wrapping the oil without leaving a gap.
“Oh, if that’s the case, then just using raw Fire Witch Finger wouldn’t have been a problem.”
“Well, what’s important is the fire magic and vitality that the Fire Witch Finger possesses.”
The water, thinly coating the Fire Witch Finger oil, swayed in the air as if alive, leaving behind a long tail following Catherine’s finger.
A moment later.
Swish—!
It vanished into Robin’s mouth as if sucked in.
Karem unknowingly frowned.
“That’s it. Duchess.”
“Is it really going to end this simply?”
“The uncontrolled magic disperses is stabilized through the holy relic the kid obtained, and internal issues can be resolved with the Fire Witch Finger oil I fed him directly. The prince will soon regain consciousness.”
“Then. Hah—”
Elizabeth, who had been tense, exhaled deeply, filled with all sorts of emotions. The surrounding attendants and maids shared the same reaction.
“However, the aftermath is the problem.”
“What do you mean by problem? Is there a bigger issue remaining?”
At Karem’s question, Catherine nodded.
She then turned to meet Elizabeth’s eyes.
“Prince Robin needs to receive magical training as soon as possible. At least until he can control his magic smoothly.”
“A wizard, you say?”
“Prince Robin has excessive talent as a wizard. Of course, he’s not as good as Duke Olivier or myself.”
Karem looked at his employer with a chilly expression.
How thick-skinned to praise oneself.
Other attendants and maids did not let it show, but they shared Karem’s thoughts.
“Well, if it’s Duke Olivier, last winter, the Grand Wizard came.”
“Yes. If it’s that old man, then in terms of teaching, he’s definitely superior to me, so he could provide Prince Robin with the most suitable guidance.”
“To think Atanitas would vouch for that much.”
Elizabeth rested her chin on her hand and began to ponder.
She initially thought it a bit dubious, but with a sage saying it so confidently, there must be something to it.
“Ugh, just thinking about it is enough to grind my teeth, but I can’t deny that old man’s capability.”
“Isn’t your relationship better than you’d expect?”
“Shut it.”
At Karem’s low, simmering voice, he quickly closed his mouth and raised both palms. Catherine shot him a sharp glare for a moment.
“Of course, it would take time, but in the meantime, we should be able to suppress him with the holy relic.”
“Come to think of it.”
If asked what ability was most important for a noble, everyone’s answer might differ, but for Elizabeth, the most important was discernment.
A noble is someone who gives orders and directs others.
To do this, one must accurately assess the abilities of their subordinates and precisely gauge the values of goods and territories.
That sense of discernment from Elizabeth was shining on Robin, lying on the bed. The holy relic resting atop him was anything but ordinary by its appearance.
Surprised to find a holy relic so unexpectedly appeared, yet it was a thing that would benefit Robin, so its value—
“Ugh. Ughhh—”
At that moment, everyone’s heads turned toward the source of the sound, the bed. Robin, who had been sleeping like he was dead, was beginning to move his eyelids and fingers.
“Robin. Robin! Wake up. Robin!”
Elizabeth immediately sat on the bed, supporting Robin’s head with a voice mixed with excitement, relief, and joy.
“Mmm, mmm.”
“Water? Over there! Bring water—”
“Mmmmwaaaaaaah!!!”
Suddenly—Boom! Whoosh!
As if to contradict his previous stillness, Robin shot up, screaming as flames erupted from him that seemed to want to incinerate the entire bed.
“Atanitas!?”
“What the hell!?”
Karem, taken aback, couldn’t even correct the strange way he called his own name and Catherine reflexively struck the ground with her staff, creating a protective barrier.
*
*
*
The chaos surrounding Prince Robin’s state quickly settled once he regained consciousness.
With the news, Alfred, Godwin, William, Alicia, and others rushed in, and the place quickly became noisy. But to cut to the chase, Olivier happily accepted Elizabeth’s proposition, recommended by Catherine.
The fact that her son was truly in danger and that even if he wasn’t on par with her two Grand Wizards, he was at least at that level, brought her joy, and she generously showered rewards and various gifts.
Similarly, Karem, who had lent the holy relic to Robin, was also receiving the same treatment.
“Oh, dear gods.”
On the magic tower’s kitchen table, now completely cleared.
What Karem was touching as if it were divine was a wooden barrel the size of an adult’s torso, complete with a stand for lying down.
Its luxurious wooden outer layer was covered in runes.
It looked at first glance to be anything but ordinary.
In fact, it was indeed an extraordinary item.
After all, the magical barrel before his eyes was among the treasures Karem had coveted from the Felwinter family vault.
A barrel of abundance.
The so-called 100x magic barrel, which accelerates the contents’ time 100 times, as Catherine & Mary put it.
“Kid, is that really that amazing?”
“Master. My heart is so thrilled right now that I can’t even put it into words.”
“Where did you learn such refined vocabulary?”
“It means I’m that happy.”
Karem replied to Catherine with an expression of utmost seriousness and movements that suggested otherwise.
“If you liked it that much, you could’ve chosen the barrel of abundance instead of the Felwinter family’s lie.”
“That’s right. If I had chosen it then, I would still have acted the same once I got my hands on a chef’s knife.”
“True, comparing how I looked when I came out of the vault with how I look now, there’s really not much difference at that age.”
Catherine firmly nodded, agreeing with Mary’s opinion.
Realizing that she shared the same thoughts as the contractor, Mary then asked the most important question in this situation.
“So Karem.”
“Hehehehe. Yes? What is it?”
“What do you plan to make with that 100x magic barrel? Beer? Wine?”
“I’ll make kimchi whenever I want to eat.”
And both Catherine and Mary frowned like crumpled paper.
Regardless of the two servants, Karem simply continued to tenderly stroke the wooden barrel.
‘Actually, I wanted to make soy sauce rather than kimchi.’
It wasn’t that making kimchi took a long time, despite needing a lot of ingredients. It usually didn’t take that much time unless it was the kimjang season—when dozens of cabbages are pickled at once.
However, soy sauce, on the other hand, was really challenging.
After all, who would actually make soy sauce from scratch, even for cooking as a hobby? Everyone would just go to the nearby store and buy it.
What Karem knew regarding soy sauce was three things.
Ingredients were water, salt, and meju.
It was put in a jar and left to age for a long time.
And after sufficient time, the liquid becomes soy sauce, and meju becomes soybean paste.
Even knowing that much was a lot for an ordinary person.
If he were a professional chef, he wouldn’t even know the scientific principles behind making meju, but Karem he wasn’t entirely dedicated to cooking for his life.
‘Meju—something like boiled soybeans mashed together and wrapped in rice straw. But what can I substitute that with?’
Now, overflowing with money, space, and time—there was definitely worth experimenting.
Of course, Karem had forgotten the fact that making meju and soy sauce would create odors that would put garum to shame.
“But Atanitas. Are the third prince and Olivier really alright?”
“Huh? What’s the problem?”
“Isn’t it already several days since the two of them locked themselves in that room?”
Karem lifted his head and looked up towards Olivier’s office/research room above the kitchen.
“Of course, it’s natural to be worried. How long has it been?”
“It’s been three days, no, four days now.”
“Four days? What kind of dangerous work could take four days of closure?”
Mary shrugged without a hint of hesitation.
In every movement, overwhelming indifference was palpable.
“Well, they have been finishing two portions neatly during every meal.”
“True, if what we’re doing is what I think, then it should be wrapping up soon.”
“Contractor, do you know what the two are doing?”
“Of course, I would know, since I’ve experienced it.”
Catherine brushed her hair back and said,
“Since it’s been brought up, shall we go see?”
“Is it alright without the room owner’s permission?”
“I am the owner of this tower.”
In other words, a statement that placed no restrictions on where she could go. Karem, who had just the right amount of free time, headed with Catherine and Mary to the top of the tower, to Olivier’s room below.
Creeeak!
“Oh.”
And the moment the door opened, a dozen metal cubes as big as an adult’s head came flying in.
Karem immediately regretted it.