Kays Translations

Chapter 454: Full Recovery Potion

The World Tree materials I had received included leaves, roots, vines, sap, and bark. Every piece was precious; even one of them was worth enough to support a commoner comfortably for an entire month.

Because I had only small quantities of each, I would have to use them carefully.

“First, the full recovery potion.”

“What does it do?”

“As the name suggests, as long as the person is still alive, it can heal any injury.”

“Any injury? If you make a magic potion like that, you’ll attract attention again.”

Nero was right. That was exactly why House Mulan had avoided attempting to make one. It should be less of a problem at House Heine. I could simply claim that Grandmother had secretly left it behind. Heh heh heh.

“It’s fine. I have an excellent plan.”

“…You look like a villain. Please don’t make that expression in front of Fabienne-sama.”

“…I’ll do my best.”

Did I truly look that sinister? If Nero felt strongly enough to warn me, I should be careful. I did not want Fabienne to hate me.

First, I dried the World Tree leaves. Making a full recovery potion resembled making other recovery potions in some respects, but there were many important differences. I could not simply replace ordinary medicinal herbs with World Tree leaves and expect it to work. Like seasoning a dish, I also had to blend in other World Tree materials.

That “seasoning” was the most important step. Even a slight difference in the quantities would drastically alter the quality—and, naturally, the flavour.

I wondered whether the magic-potion book Grandmother had given me contained a description of the full recovery potion. I flipped through its pages.

There it was. As expected of Grandmother, who had once studied under the foremost magic pharmacist of her age. Hmm, hmm. I see…

The recipe is wrong! Wait—could it actually be made this way too? Seriously?

“Julius-sama, is something wrong?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing—just a slight headache. Nero, you know that full recovery potions exist, right?”

“Yes. I’ve heard the name, but I’ve never seen one.”

Good. Apparently, potions made by this method had not become widespread. I hoped Commander Giovanni would be all right. Lord Leon was probably taking the World Tree materials to him, but… did he know the correct method? Perhaps I should have checked before leaving.

“Julius-sama, are you certain you’re all right?”

“Y-yes, I’m fine. There’s nothing I can do about it now anyway. Let’s simply pray that nothing goes wrong.”

“…If you say so.”

Nero tilted his head, visibly concerned. I could not tell him the truth, and even if I did, it would not help. All I could do was make the full recovery potion whose proper recipe I knew.

Time to clear my head and return to the task.

As always, I poured distilled water into the pot and lit a fire beneath it. Then I added chopped World Tree roots and bark and simmered them to extract their essence. The liquid gradually turned brown. Even this decoction was said to prevent illness when drunk as tea, although it did not taste pleasant. It was somewhat like burdock tea.

Once the ingredients had boiled thoroughly, I removed the roots and bark, then continued reducing the liquid until it became a deep brown. A distinctive smoky aroma filled the compounding room. I had better open the window.

“It smells as though something is being smoked.”

“If I wanted to, I could make smoked food using World Tree materials. It would sell for an absurd price.”

“That certainly sounds luxurious.”

“Luxurious” was hardly the word. It was more like, “What an appalling waste!” Even Nero broke into a cold sweat after saying it. If someone actually tried such a thing in front of me, I would probably scream and rush to stop them. Please don’t.

Next, I placed the dried World Tree leaves in cold distilled water and began heating it. If the water boiled, the mixture would be ruined. I carefully raised the temperature while applying pressure. If only I could use the Laboratory skill—it would be finished in an instant. How frustrating.

“Do you think it’s ready?”

“What a vivid green. Or is it blue?”

“It depends on the angle. The liquid already has healing properties, but they’re weak on their own.”

“I see.”

Next, I slowly added the concentrated extract I had prepared earlier. I had to stop at the exact moment the solution became a pure green. I shifted my head from side to side, checking how the colour changed from each angle.

All right. A perfect green.

“The colour looks deeper somehow.”

“That means it worked. Now I only need to add the correct amount of sap.”

The amount of World Tree sap depended on the volume of the green solution. I measured the liquid carefully, then calculated how much sap was required. I was glad I had made proper measuring tools; the balance and weights were proving invaluable.

Once I had calculated the amount, I slowly added the sap while stirring gently with a glass rod.

“Something sparkling has appeared.”

“Yes. Those are impurities. I’ll remove them with a World Tree vine.”

“You know so much, Julius-sama.”

“W-well, yes. I’ve studied Grandmother’s magic-potion book thoroughly.”

I wished I could simply say that I had made this potion countless times in the game, but I could not. Suppressing my conflicted feelings, I focused on the task. Once all the impurities had risen to the surface, I added the vine and stirred in a circle.

The sparkling particles gradually disappeared as the vine absorbed the impurities. I still had no idea why that happened.

“All right, it’s finished. Now I’ll add a secret ingredient to make it easier to drink.”

“Does it taste bad as it is?”

“In its current state, it tastes bitter, earthy, and overwhelmingly forest-like.”

“…”

Now, what should I use? Perhaps basil or mint could mask the flavour. After several rounds of trial and error, the full recovery potion was complete.

Full Recovery Potion. Quality: High. Effect: Instantly heals any injury. Flavour: Refreshing Forest.

What kind of flavour was that supposed to be? Still, it was probably far better than my earliest attempts. Perhaps because I had made it by hand rather than with the Laboratory skill, I had fallen short of the highest quality. It felt as though there were still another wall to overcome.

I would simply take that as proof that I still had room to grow.

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