Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 7: The First Fruit of My Efforts
At last—I had managed to devise a new type of transmutation circle. I gave it the grand name: “Composite Transmutation Circle.” With that hurdle cleared, the next step was obvious—experimentation.
The plan for the trial run was simple: test the effects of combining heat and pressure on ordinary soil.
First, I carefully inscribed a circle of heat in the very center. Then, to its right, I drew the diagram for pressure, each stroke deliberate, the faint shimmer of mana etching itself into the lines. Like the positive and negative poles of a circuit, I extended two thin conduits of energy from both circles and connected them to the domain-sphere generation formula that would hold the experiment in place.
Once the preparations were complete, I activated the domain sphere. A faint hum filled the air as the shimmering spherical boundary took shape, enclosing a small pocket of space. Into its heart I placed a handful of soil.
Finally, I channeled mana into both the heat and pressure diagrams simultaneously, feeling the pulse of power surge through my fingers.
The soil compressed at once, rounded by the invisible weight pressing upon it. Steam hissed out as moisture fled, and when that died down, the lump began to glow faintly red with heat.
“Good… that’s enough.”
I cut off the flow of mana. Though the circle had ceased its work, the soil remained dangerously hot, so I materialized a pair of tongs and carefully lifted it from the sphere. Setting it down on the ground, I tapped its surface lightly.
A sharp, dry clink answered me.
“…If this works with clay, maybe I can even make pottery.”
I wasn’t entirely sure whether proper ceramics were possible this way, but pottery could wait. My real focus was something far more valuable—Honey Gems.
I gathered fresh sap and began the process anew.
At the center, I drew a circle for extraction. To its right, I traced the formula for purification, and to its left, pressure. Into the domain sphere, I poured the sap until it pooled at the center. Once stabilized, I activated the purification diagram, watching as impurities separated and vanished in faint wisps. Then, timing it carefully, I invoked extraction and pressure together.
The sap responded sluggishly at first, but under the dual technique, its excess moisture was slowly forced out. I maintained the process patiently, drawing it out until no more water remained.
“Ohhh… wait—what the…? This looks like a candy ball.”
The compressed sap had rounded neatly into a translucent orb, indistinguishable from a polished sweet. Yet, when I examined it more closely, thin cracks marred its interior. A little force, and it would surely shatter.
“It’s a shame, but I need to test it properly.”
I placed the finished “honey gem” onto a stone and smashed it with another rock. It broke apart easily, scattering fragments across the ground. Still, I noted with satisfaction that the inside was thoroughly dried.
“…But those cracks… maybe the pressure was too much?”
I had tried to mimic natural fossilization, but clearly the force I used had been excessive. Next time, I would refine it, employing shaping alongside gentle pressure to compact the form more delicately.
I repeated the process, comparing the new results against the earlier attempts.
“Hmm… this one feels harder. The pressed one definitely has more durability.”
I summoned a mortar and ground both specimens. The difference was clear: the piece forged under pressure was denser, stronger. Yet the trade-off was obvious—too much pressure, and cracks appeared. To balance it, I decided to scale back the mana supplied to the pressure formula.
Thus, the steps for honey gem creation took shape in my mind:
- Purify the sap.
- Add inclusions.
- Shape and gently compress.
- Finally, extract remaining moisture.
From the next day on, I devoted every spare moment to creating honey gems, storing them neatly in the warehouse.
Most of the inclusions I used were ants and bees, their tiny bodies suspended forever in golden resin. But I experimented further—trapping bird feathers, fragments of leaf, even once an entire beetle.
The largest of my creations was nearly the size of two clenched fists. Inside, I had captured a stag beetle and a rhinoceros beetle, preserved mid-confrontation, their mandibles locked as if frozen on the brink of battle.
“…Mufufu. Now this—this is a masterpiece.”
“What exactly is a ‘masterpiece,’ I wonder?”
“Wha—!?”
I yelped like a startled animal at the sudden voice from behind.
“—Mother!?”
When I turned, she was standing right there, peering curiously at what I held. Her eyes, sharp yet gentle, were fixed on the glowing gem in my hands.
“This is… um…”
There was no point hiding it. With a resigned sigh, I showed her my latest creation, and then led her to the warehouse where the others were stored. “I made them… with alchemy.”
“…Al.” Her voice trembled slightly as she touched her cheek, deep in thought. After a pause, she leaned in close, glancing around cautiously before whispering, “Have you shown these to anyone else?”
“No. Just you, Mother.”
“Good. Don’t show them to anyone. Not even Fana. Not yet.”
Her tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.
I had been half-playing, half-practicing, but when she murmured, “These alone could sell for five gold coins each,” my jaw nearly dropped. At best, I had thought of them as trinkets, maybe worth a handful of silver. Yet here I was with twenty-four stored away.
I wasn’t a saint, nor did I pretend to be pure-hearted. Still… could I really justify making that much money from mere tree sap? The thought unsettled me.
Mother studied the gems again, her expression softening, though still weighted with concern.
“Tell me, Al… what do you see for your future?”
“…My future?”
Truth be told, I had never given it deep thought. If I remained a farmer, nothing needed to change. Part of me admired adventurers, but with no ability to use body-strengthening magic, I would never rise beyond a low rank no matter how much I trained.
Magic was denied to me. But alchemy was not. And I loved creating things.
Yes… my truest goal was simple: to make my mother happy.
Had I not been born, she might still be living in the Marquis’ household. Yet she never once blamed me. Instead, she left all that behind, choosing to remain at my side.
How could I not wish for her happiness in return?
“Mother… I want to study alchemy more.”
Her expression hardened. I understood why—my lack of elemental affinity had branded me as defective, the reason she was sent away from her noble house. She feared what awaited me.
But I pressed on. “If it’s at the noble academy… I can learn, right?”
“Yes. In this kingdom, only the noble academy offers proper training in alchemy,” she admitted softly. Apprenticeships existed, but most alchemists specialized in potion-making, and for one such as me—with missing attributes—that path was closed.
“…Then I want to go.”
She closed her eyes, then nodded. “If that is truly your wish, I will do everything in my power to make it happen. But we must act soon. Leave it to me.”
Her smile then curved upward, sly and calculating, as though some secret scheme had already taken root in her mind. I couldn’t help but shiver.
Afterward, we busied ourselves preparing the fields and making arrangements for travel. The destination: Meluestat, the domain’s capital. Mother also mentioned she intended to meet with Baron Merlot there.
The journey would take three days by carriage. But the village’s only wagon was under the village chief’s strict control, reserved solely for official needs.
So we waited for a merchant caravan coming to buy surplus grain. On their return to the city, we paid the fare and joined them.
The merchant, a jovial man named Blows, traveled with three D-rank adventurers as guards. With Mother, Fana, and me added, our group totaled seven.
Along the road, we encountered monsters several times—mostly goblins, with the occasional wolf. Nothing the adventurers couldn’t handle.
And so, after three days of bumps, dust, and wary eyes scanning the forests, we finally arrived at the gates of Meluestat, the Capital of the Domain.