Chapter 3
"Thor-sama isn't afraid of us, is he?"
The elven girl in a maid's uniform, Mabel Refrain, said.
We were at the entrance to the Demon Lord's Territory, in a forest thick with tall trees.
Four minotaurs were walking at the head of the group.
After them came me, with the elf Mabel Refrain beside me.
The remaining minotaurs guarded the rear.
"Humans always grow frightened when they approach the Demon Lord's Territory, but... you are the first person as brave as you."
"It's not that I'm brave."
But Mabel Refrain was right.
I wasn't afraid of her or the minotaurs.
This was the Demon Lord's Territory, where inhuman beings lived.
I had no allies anywhere.
Elves possessed powerful magic.
Their magic could kill me with ease.
There were eight minotaurs in front of and behind me. They weren't carrying weapons, but they could probably strangle me to death.
But I wasn't afraid.
For now, the minotaurs were treating me as a guest.
They lent me a hand where the path was difficult and watched over me with their surprisingly gentle, round eyes to make sure I didn't fall.
The difference was like heaven and earth compared to the Imperial soldiers.
But anyway──
"The human realm and the Demon Lord's Territory have a nonaggression pact. It would be rude to be needlessly afraid."
──That was what I decided to go with.
"...I see. You must be an admirable person to have come here alone..."
Mabel Refrain's violet eyes gleamed as she looked at me.
She seemed like a good person. Probably, anyway.
"Please tell me if you get tired. The minotaurs will carry you."
"No, I'm fine."
I shook my head.
The ground was difficult to walk on, but I didn't feel tired.
In fact, I felt as though my health had improved since entering the Demon Lord's Territory.
I could feel a strange magical power—the kind I had never felt in the Empire.
It filled my body.
And then──a voice echoed inside my head.
'You have completed absorbing dark magic power.'
'You have completed absorbing the magic power of the six basic attributes—Light, Dark, Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind.'
'Your Alchemy Skill has evolved into Creation Alchemy (Over-Alchemy).'
'Your Material Transmutation Skill has fully awakened.'
'Your Attribute Infusion Skill has fully awakened.'
'Your Appraisal Comprehension Skill has fully awakened.'
──What was this?
I instinctively checked my Skills, and──
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'Creation Alchemy (Over-Alchemy)'
A Skill that creates something from nothing.
It is also the highest-ranking Alchemy Skill.
Only those who can accept the magic power of all six basic attributes—Light, Dark, Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind—can awaken this Skill.
If you know an item's appearance, effects, and abilities, you can create an equivalent item.
'Material Transmutation'
You can create matter from magic power.
You can combine matter to create new materials.
You can process matter and change it into any shape you desire.
The types of matter you can create vary according to your current level.
'Attribute Infusion'
You can add any attribute you wish to a target material.
The number of attributes you can add varies according to the target material.
'Appraisal Comprehension'
You can appraise a target item's attributes, materials, and effects.
The information you appraise is recorded as data within the Skill.
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──My Alchemy Skill changed?
Why?!
And what's more—it says I can create matter from magic power... Is there really a Skill like that?
No, the Skill inside me was definitely telling me it could.
But this was too useful.
I almost wondered if the reason I had no combat Skills was that I had poured all my abilities into this Creation Alchemy (Over-Alchemy).
Otherwise, I couldn't understand why I would awaken to a Skill like this.
"What is the matter, Thor-sama?"
Before I knew it, Mabel Refrain's face was right beside me.
She was peering into my face with concern.
"Are you tired? Or are you feeling unwell because you're unused to this land...?"
"N-no, I'm fine."
I hurriedly shook my head.
"If you start feeling ill, please tell me. The strength of the magic power in the Demon Lord's Territory differs from that of the human realm."
"Come to think of it, the 'dark' magic power is strong in the Demon Lord's Territory, isn't it?"
"That's exactly right. And the human realm is filled with 'light' magic power, is it not?"
"The Empire also has strong 'fire' and 'earth' magic power. 'Fire' represents the power to burn one's enemies to ash, while 'earth' represents strength like steel that never bends──ah."
I realized it.
My Skill had awakened because I had absorbed 'dark' magic power.
The human realm had strong 'light' magic power and weak 'dark' magic power.
The Demon Lord's Territory had strong 'dark' magic power and weak 'light' magic power.
To awaken to Creation Alchemy, I had to accept the magic power of the six basic attributes—light, dark, earth, water, fire, and wind.
I had probably absorbed a huge amount of dark magic power in this forest.
That had given me all the magic power I needed and allowed me to awaken to Creation Alchemy.
That was all I understood for now.
"Is something the matter, Thor-sama?"
"...It's nothing."
"I-I see."
The elf Mabel nodded.
She was right beside me, close enough for her breath to touch me──in fact, this girl wasn't wary of me at all.
No matter how powerful her magic was, at this distance it would be faster for me to restrain Mabel.
Well, she was so completely off guard that I didn't even feel inclined to do that.
I could escape at any time.
For now, I wanted to test Creation Alchemy.
With that in mind, I began walking alongside Mabel the elf again.
"Thor-sama, Mabel-sama."
Suddenly, one of the minotaurs walking at the front called out.
"The road gets rough around here. Please, be careful."
"Thank you... Oh."
Mabel staggered unsteadily.
I instinctively reached out and supported her.
"Are you all right?"
"I-I'm terribly sorry! To trouble an envoy by making him lend me a hand..."
Mabel hurriedly moved away from me and bowed deeply.
"How embarrassing... I warned Thor-sama to be careful, only to stumble myself..."
Crack.
Something broke near Mabel's neck.
The necklace she had been wearing slipped to the ground with a soft slither.
...Ah.
"Mabel-sama!?"
The flustered minotaur picked up the necklace from the ground.
It was a necklace with a blue stone.
Its golden chain had broken.
"When I stumbled, it must have caught on a tree branch."
"We're sorry, Mabel-sama. We should have been more careful."
"It's all right. The chain was already about to break."
"But that was a keepsake from Mabel-sama's mother..."
"It's all right. Please don't worry about it."
In Mabel's palm lay the pendant with its blue stone.
Apparently, the chain had caught on a branch when she stumbled and snapped.
"Would you let me try repairing it?"
Before I knew it, the words had escaped my lips.
"I've repaired broken chains several times."
"Are you a craftsman, Thor-sama?"
"No, I'm an alchemist."
It was the first time I had ever called myself an alchemist.
But it felt right.
"I'm Thor Rigas, an alchemist from the Empire. I think I can probably repair that chain."
Mabel Refrain and the minotaurs looked at me in surprise.
"...Is it really all right to ask an envoy to do something like this?"
Mabel held the pendant out to me.
"This is a keepsake from my mother... It means a great deal to me. If you can repair it, I would like to ask you to..."
"Understood."
I sat down at the base of a tree.
I accepted the pendant, touched the chain, and activated 'Appraisal Comprehension' from 'Creation Alchemy.'
Information about the pendant appeared before my eyes.
'Water Spirit Stone Pendant'
A pendant blessed by a water spirit.
The pendant's head was set with a water magic stone.
The chain is made of metal (unknown: I have never touched this material before; analyzing).
Attribute: Water
It was the deteriorated part of the chain that had broken. I could repair it.
All I had to do was create metal for that section and add the Water attribute to it.
"Activate──'Material Transmutation.'"
I placed my finger against the broken chain.
I began creating the metal section with my magic power.
Metal is created from Earth magic power. Basically, all metals are the same.
I would transmute metal from magic power to match the surrounding chain, then add the Water attribute.
When I activated the Skill, an image of pouring in and stirring magic power arose in my mind.
Apparently, this was a substitute for the alchemist's cauldron.
"Execute 'Material Transmutation.' Begin repair."
The pendant in my palm let out a soft hiss.
The broken section of chain began moving like a living thing.
And then──
"──O-oh! Mabel-sama, what is this!?"
"──The chain is repairing itself."
"──Even though there are no materials? Metal is... being created!?"
The minotaurs were astonished.
Actually, so was I.
So it really was possible to create materials using only magic power.
What's more, the chain was taking shape exactly as I imagined it.
So this was the power of Creation Alchemy (Over-Alchemy).
Clink.
After a while, the pendant's repair was complete.
The broken chain had returned to its original shape.
"It's done. Here you go."
...
"It was only a temporary repair, so there may be some problems. Just to be safe, please have a specialist examine it once we return to town."
...
"Of course, I'm only saying that to be safe. I didn't do a careless job. I may not look it, but I'm an alchemist. I only just became one, but I've decided to call myself an alchemist."
...
"Um, Mabel Refrain-san?"
"Envoy-sama... no, Thor-sama!"
Clasp.
It happened all of a sudden.
Mabel Refrain clasped both of my hands in hers.
"Thank you! My mother's keepsake... It's completely whole again..."
"Completely whole?"
Ah, she meant that the marks where the chain had been joined were no longer visible.
The broken section of the chain had been repaired without leaving a trace. I was glad it had worked.
"You must be a very famous alchemist, Thor-sama..."
Mabel Refrain clutched the pendant, tears welling in her eyes.
"I was moved too, Thor-sama."
"So this is technology from the human world!"
"Even a dwarf craftsman couldn't repair it in just a few minutes..."
"An incredible person came here from the human world..."
The minotaurs' voices trembled as well.
This was the first time anyone had ever thanked me like this.
I had never worked as a proper alchemist.
So when the people around me thanked me like this... it made me feel bashful.
"...So this is how alchemists out there have always felt."
And so we began walking toward the Demon Lord's Territory again.
Before I knew it, the elven girl Mabel was walking in step beside me.
She laughed and said, "Please call me Mabel," so I tried calling her that.
Mabel looked happy and──
"Yes. Alchemist Thor-sama!"
──called me by my name as an alchemist.