Chapter 58
YKCuAbout the alchemist Haide, what was publicly known was almost nothing.XV5wd
Ke20At most, his place of birth, his appearance, and his age. For being the developer of the Nectar, it was an oddly scarce amount of information.OYlCV
THgvGtnAlthough countless people launched investigations into his past, that was all they found.Nka
c8N5x7‘Because, aside from the development of the Nectar, he had nothing that could be called an achievement.’MBk
a3cnBM5He came from a fallen family and was a low-ranking noble who, due to a series of coincidences, ended up entering the path of alchemy.38EiMD
7T9iSThen, with the support funds from the Empire, he repeated countless developments and failures until, purely by chance, he managed to create the Nectar.63tS8
XALSThanks to that, he enjoyed immense glory for a short period, but died young for unknown reasons.2OMp
Mv1Although there were some suspicious aspects to his death, aside from that, it could be said he was a fairly ordinary alchemist.AuJ
wdohPZz‘At first glance, he seems exactly like the general assessment…’udFxb
gS8NK“Why aren’t you answering? If someone says their name, the least you can do is introduce yourself too.”8qoJ
y50D5ljHaide snapped with obvious irritation upon noticing Lucian’s scrutinizing gaze.9sq8f
Tv4Lucian realized his lapse late and smiled again.0TfNU
unSFl3H“Apologies. I’m Lucian Valdeck.”g59rx
FpDDFxu“…Valdeck? That Valdeck?”ZlfNP
q5m“I don’t know which Valdeck you mean, but we use a lion as our emblem.”zuel
GkhKzaHaide’s face, which had been tense, immediately turned pale.W5fEhb
JppuHe straightened up hastily and bowed deeply.SelWk
sIPpJ“I’ve been rude to a young man of the Valdeck family! I… that is…”glYY
9CjWS“Calm down. I don’t intend to scold you for what just happened.”TBelk
xVlAyc“Th-thank you!”HuvLZNz
UVc5“If you’re grateful, how about we have a little chat?”NWRckVS
sbv1ocJ“A chat…?”x82W
CNhGmAp“About alchemy and, while we’re at it, about the recent atmosphere in the capital.”Pk0Mocx
FnQBELucian took control of the conversation as naturally as possible.2G0
K9VFortunately, his conversation partner seemed weak in the face of power and status. If he kept pressing, it wouldn’t be hard to extract information.Laicj0E
HYu“I’ll answer anything! Just ask, please!”gdhzg
YONEaThinking it was a chance to regain lost points, Haide nodded repeatedly.1Wk
cVxBAfter thinking for a moment, Lucian decided to start with what interested him most.BBz97
bRlJ80“How’s the atmosphere lately in the alchemists’ guild?”JXGj
ZcE“Huh? The guild’s atmosphere? Same as always.”usb
tUzceI“Are you sure there haven’t been any changes? No new production methods, or discoveries of different effects in herbs?”QgaP9
J0F“Umm…”waH
HOFAlthough Lucian was as direct as possible, Haide’s reaction didn’t change.jeq2
QNuHDPiIn fact, after thinking for a long moment, he shook his head as if he truly didn’t know anything.Krd8f
uEtGt8“There’s none of that. People keep trying new things, but it’s all failures, one after another. If there had been any success, I would’ve heard about it by now.”c01
GG3aC9Q“I see.”U7iKi3
c30Lucian nodded calmly, but inside he was quite puzzled.JRQY
E8nIn his past life, the alchemists’ guild began hoarding moonlight herb within about three months.SSutrTQ
M2VrcjAnd now he said there hadn’t been any success yet?wOzbb
rWIK0w3“Then, how’s the recent atmosphere in the capital? Aren’t people uneasy because of the war?”3VG1le
hJPSr“Well… I was in another city until recently. At least when I left, nothing special had happened.”uVot
wDXwBnHaving gained little, Lucian changed the direction of his questions.Hd5og
IyUGyPMore than concrete information, he now wanted to understand what kind of person Haide was—how much he cared about the Empire’s current situation and how he thought things would develop.9VDtb
YUx91siThey were small questions, but a person’s values are often revealed in such details.PV6
Ld0Ukc‘To understand someone, the first step is to know how they think.’l9l
PJwV3oIf the Haide in front of him was truly the developer of the Nectar, sooner or later he would have to recruit him as a talent.47Ml35
Q2Xv***9NWg6i
QBYAfter a good while of questioning, Lucian couldn’t hide his disappointment.Iy7K44n
ZhEDC‘What’s with this guy? All his answers are “I don’t know.”’jNgIYmG
984WDBMost of what came out of Haide’s mouth was “I don’t know” or “I’m not interested.”NDOa
VwehQWNIt could be called the typical political indifference of a scholar, but it didn’t quite seem like that. A true scholar, at the very least, would have a clear grasp of everything related to their field of study.njEH
nTw9hjHowever, Haide didn’t seem the least bit interested in how the world worked.EbBMMu
1cf‘This isn’t academic detachment—it’s simple complacency. As long as the Empire’s money keeps coming in, he doesn’t care about anything else.’DByM
xCl“D-did I say something wrong?”Bf50raq
oZP5F8rHaide asked nervously.XXUT
klEv8LLucian then realized he was frowning.zkCYY
YKZhpXY“No, no. It’s just that my throat got dry.”OYSP
S3fbHe said it offhandedly, but his tone had already shifted to a distant, formal manner.IXL
tok0qHis assessment of Haide had dropped several levels.z8K
eGT50“Let’s return to the main topic, then—alchemy. I heard you personally made that potion. Did it have good results?”R2L0Fb
hdbqa2x“Ah, of course! This is confidential, but I recently changed some ingredients in a few potions and found several interesting reactions.”1cpA
yPcVeAs the topic shifted to alchemical research, Haide began to speak enthusiastically about his discoveries.BQ9
N0oV7yqHe seemed eager to recover his lost image, but as he continued explaining, Lucian’s evaluation dropped even further.sZO
SrvanqG‘It’s all recycling of already known effects. He didn’t even form a hypothesis before starting. Calling it an experiment is a stretch—he’s just mixing things randomly and watching what happens.’pmu55QY
gDRGTuELucian didn’t know much about alchemy, but he did understand that developing a new method required prolonged research.s4zHv4q
NtJDcGThis man wasn’t even searching for anything new—he was just repeating already-known effects.4ZqLBcM
ugmHe might have been hiding something, but with how loose his tongue was, it didn’t seem likely.1mbON6u
m980gm“One last question, if I may. What do you think of the moonlight herb?”uB0q
bHweTWith a small sliver of hope, Lucian asked the question. Haide tilted his head, surprised, but answered with complete honesty.k4mGr8A
DDzUY“It’s just a medicinal herb that’s good for the body. Sometimes people try to use it in alchemy, but it’s nonsense. There’s no bigger waste of time than reusing an ingredient that’s already been thoroughly studied.”GQm
ZlOy***9Yxj
XJoUr“A pathetic guy.”XO5qZ
9PzVbBack in his room, Lucian let out the complaint without realizing it.xUx
8Mfa2ZThe supposed developer of the Nectar, Haide Forbor, was utter garbage.Qt9wtbB
TOsG“Research just as a formality to collect imperial subsidies, and if something good comes out by pure chance from randomly mixing things, then they say it was a stroke of genius. That’s what they call a scholar now?”6nrq
cxjQeJN“He’s just an average alchemist. No need to be so disappointed.”PLZ4
7nlCDoAt Raymond’s words, Lucian gave a bitter smile.TGKEu
tBARyAfter all, he was just a typical alchemist of this era. If it weren’t for the fame he had in Lucian’s past life, he wouldn’t have been disappointed at all.P0xrUcE
mxzroQ6‘Then, if it’s not him who the hell is the real one? No—wait. Why did that guy end up being known as the developer of the Nectar?’7LHC
EWDmIf everything continued as in his previous life, in about three months the alchemists’ guild would begin sweeping up all the moonlight herb in the empire.vMn0
isiIn other words, by this point, there should already be a result worth presenting to the world.tEIq7WV
q0XC4But there wasn’t a trace of such a result in Haide.v1A1
QIbwSC0‘If he started researching now, there’s no way he could produce anything presentable in such a short time. So that means he stole someone else’s work.’0Na3
TUFg2IsThe problem was, Haide seemed quite content with his current life.s3fs
cWx7Stealing someone else’s research achievement meant risking your life.AHII
7RmYphEven if he pulled it off, the robbed alchemist wouldn’t stay quiet.ZEe3d9
SSsWould someone so lacking in ambition really risk their life for that?RUL
VD4i‘Well, I’ll find out from now on.’oBH7Px
jKIi1CFortunately, there was still plenty of time to find the real developer.buI
XIjRpm7The next morning, Lucian left the inn early with Raymond, heading toward their destination.fak83n
3jNZThey were already quite close, so it looked like they could reach it in a single day.8ueM5a
FQcw“Now that I think about it, isn’t this your first time coming to the capital, Third Young Master?”Lleq
dAj“Yes. It’s the first.”IouJ
XvHNot even in his past life had he visited the capital of the empire.uG5e
4xpWhen he finally had the opportunity to do so, the age of chaos had already begun, and the entire capital had become extremely dangerous.nKD
M1MiSAGEven if he had gone, after several siege battles, the place would’ve already been half in ruins.5K6
KvYRhM“To be honest, I’m a little excited. They say it’s the jewel of the empire. Is it grander than Kelheim?”tOTCBO
cfWr“Rather than grander, I’d say it’s more beautiful. Ah, there it is.”cNxz
1pG493Raymond pointed to the walls visible in the distance.y1F04s
DDfkZLAt first, they looked whitish, but as they approached, their shape became clearer.eK3Cno
spy0Adi‘White?’l4yW
kBQ5rTThe pure white walls reflected the sunlight with a blinding brilliance.4qa
lRjIRLNAt the same time, the numerous carvings etched into them formed different figures depending on the angle of the light.OYsbpR
pUqMore than a defensive wall, it looked like a massive work of art.Z6HZszA
K8GztSeeing Lucian’s astonished expression, Raymond smiled.eMcm
buSotX“The White Wall of Tibron, the capital of the empire. Isn’t it beautiful?”YZ4p6b
C8XPLucian couldn’t deny it and nodded.nv4d
CXE***dH0
ExBsnofThe closer they got, the wider Lucian’s eyes opened.OEini
nh3LINot only because the wall looked even more impressive up close, but also because there were no joints between the stones.BZUtQ
YvyThe surface was so smooth that it seemed a ladder would simply slip off if you tried to lean one against it.vW7V
hCZU‘Is it even possible to conquer a fortress like this? How on earth did they take it?’D7ihj
848TWV8“They say those carvings aren’t just decorations, but magic circles. That if an enemy gets close, the magic activates and repels them.”YSZI5Ig
St1ZTRaymond whispered the information into Lucian’s ear as he stared at the wall, stunned.KdIN8
UbNqOqXIt already looked like an impregnable fortress, and on top of that, it had built-in magic. Lucian let out a disbelieving laugh.vfRIAdc
iCOncI“Is that true?”t8148
0jH“Just rumors. To be honest, I didn’t believe them either… but after seeing His Majesty use magic so openly in front of everyone…”ZfzA
9nUsRaymond trailed off.2KSn
WlbqMBefore, it might’ve been something to laugh at, but now it was hard not to think twice.lgdyt
jUFR2As they chatted about trivial things and approached the gate, Lucian suddenly stopped in his tracks.YTqn
LqrNmGr“What’s that line?”cQTKQ9w
JOTWyXHe was startled to see a long line of people.q88CPee
OUO0b7MWith such a massive gate, was there really a need to wait that long?IFbhaw
7Iw7mBut Raymond smiled like it was completely normal.Hmxw
BkNhP“After all, Tibron is the capital, so they put a lot of effort into identity verification. Still, the line should move quickly. The guards aren’t usually that strict.”ZQWyUh
3QUL7iAccording to Raymond, merchants and craftsmen who frequently visited the capital usually passed inspections fairly easily.Dz93a
nr1With so much traffic, if the rules were enforced to the letter, everything would slow down too much.C0e
Y1p5E8Y“If you’d like, I could reveal your identity and request that we be allowed in first.”bJ4t
0WaE“No. Let’s wait for now. If everyone else is lining up and we cut ahead, we might draw too much attention.”RGANPR
PTsXIf it were an official act on behalf of the family, there’d be no doubt.jvI
0BRMvBut this trip was a personal visit by Lucian. He didn’t want to attract unnecessary stares or reveal his identity.eXoTI0
vHe3mVEven if he had to eventually identify himself to the guards, at least he wouldn’t draw everyone’s eyes.HdILdZe
XEBNps0With that settled, Lucian stood alongside Raymond at the end of the line.0fMZzl
5jwLAnd three hours passed.oKPSr
kAw“…It hasn’t moved at all.”QnV
fCVfjvs“That’s strange. Why’s it taking so long?”Uq9nM
trD6hzFUnder Lucian’s sharp gaze, Raymond subtly turned his head and muttered.vgM
zaMkjIrAfter three hours, the line had barely moved; most people were still waiting. At that rate, they wouldn’t even make it inside before the gates closed.eTF
Tjv“Looks like it’s your first time coming since the war.”uSraGhw
FTNxxK2A merchant who had overheard their conversation approached to explain the situation.MIxc1d
oGuIt seemed he took them for a provincial master and servant visiting the capital after a long time.mslHNC
rSRtbYH“Since the recent rebellion, inspections have gotten very strict. Now it takes forever to get in. With a line like this, you won’t get in today.”1I0pTII
jFhHS2“What? Then why are you still in line?”5NnMZ
ZNgLX0X“Even if I don’t get in today, if I stay in line until tomorrow, I’ll eventually make it. Lately, when the gates close, people just sleep right here and continue the next day.”RAZyo
GB8UNvThe merchant even showed them the sleeping bags he had brought. Seeing them, both were speechless.O7JgNws
YVtNSSleep outside on the ground and then go back to lining up?6y6KTH
NsW3“If you want, I can sell you one of the sleeping bags I brought. I happen to have two extras.”K2Zqo
Rxr“Huh… that…”sdaRb
pdSKSensing a business opportunity, the merchant pulled out two sleeping bags from his mule’s luggage. When he didn’t get an immediate answer, he figured they were hesitating and added.fAxZx
iRm2vH“Don’t worry about anyone cutting in while you sleep. These days, the knights patrol day and night. If they catch someone skipping the line, they send them straight to the back.”OwWPNj
7nZp9The merchant pointed behind them.4FbL6oC
2OelF68Turning around, Lucian and Raymond saw several knights indeed patrolling the line with hawk-like eyes.uO8x
JJAUBnEAt that moment, one of the knights near the front locked eyes with Lucian.Gm9
rL9R1He blinked once—then suddenly his eyes widened in horror.G5HbCj
P4iDfov“Duke Lucian?! What are you doing here?!”fyCN
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