Published: August 15, 2025
At the high priest’s request, I was scheduled to make medicine between the third and fourth bells the next morning. If this medicine was completed, I would become healthy, but I was quite concerned about the high priest’s urgency regarding mana compression. When I was led into the high priest’s secret room, I began to take out ingredients and check equipment. Watching the high priest busy rummaging about, I finally asked him from behind.
“High Priest, is it really necessary to rush the mana compression so much?”
Startled, he turned around and gave me a bitter look, saying, “What are you saying at this time?”
“...Rosemine, how long does it usually take for your mana compression to show results?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been compressing it unconsciously just to survive... I taught Darmel at the end of spring, but it seems my mana was already a bit strong. Since this is the first time using it on adults, I truly don’t know if it will even work.”
Muttering “That figures,” the high priest nodded.
“We will test it ourselves. If mana increases, those in the same faction will also be encouraged to try it. Then, those who join our faction for mana will be taught as well. But if we think about raising Ehrenfest's mana level, how many years will it take? Ideally, we want to amplify our mana at least before Georgine arrives again.”
Darmel, who had been slowly gaining mana thanks to my blessings, took about half a year to show a noticeable increase. Whether mana could increase for adults whose growth had stopped, and how long that would take, needed to be tested and results obtained by the end of summer when Georgine would return — there was truly no time to spare.
“...It’s urgent, then.”
When the high priest said it needed to be done before Georgine’s return, I began to understand his anxiety. He was the kind of person who, even just observing, could stir up so much trouble. Who knew what would happen if he got serious.
“That’s why I want to postpone making Yureve.”
He said that with narrowed eyes, and I hurriedly shook my head. If I gave in here, it would definitely be pushed back further and further. I wanted to get healthy as soon as possible.
“No! That’s not acceptable! You’re saying the Yureve making will be after Lord Georgine’s arrival, right? I can’t wait that long. I want to finish the medicine quickly and then move on to mana compression.”
“Stubborn...”
Even if it sounded like I was being selfish, I couldn’t compromise.
“Just as you want to compress mana before Lord Georgine arrives, I want to regain my health beforehand. In my current state, I wouldn’t even be able to run away if something happened!”
“...That’s true.”
Health comes before amplifying others’ mana. The high priest himself said, “We don’t know who might be targeted.” If we want to raise the base level, my physical strength must be the top priority.
It seemed my desperate plea got through because the high priest nodded once, took a wooden box, and headed for the exit.
“First, we will make a secret room in your head priest’s office.”
“Huh?”
“We need a place to mix the medicine.”
“Isn’t this room fine?”
I looked around the room overflowing with materials and equipment. The high priest also glanced around and sighed.
“...It’s too cramped to work in.”
Between the experimental tools, abundant materials, and piles of documents and wooden tags with compiled experiment results, the high priest’s secret room was cluttered.
Also, unlike the orphanage director’s secret room, this place requires a certain level of mana to enter, so the attendants who clean cannot get in. When the experiment reaches a critical stage or the high priest is contemplating new ingredients, the room can get pretty messy.
“You’ll need a place to sleep after taking the medicine anyway, so the secret room must be made regardless. And making it big enough to produce medicine there isn’t much extra trouble, so get it done quickly.”