106. Misunderstandings Are Hard To Notice by Yourself, Isn’t It?

――The Tear of the Saint.

As Myrna’s tear fell onto the emblem and burst, the knowledge of how to use it as a material and how to perform the alchemy to use it flowed into my mind.

“This, this is…”

Myrna looked up at me in wonder.

Her tears, not yet completely stopped, ran down her cheeks.

In a hurry, I pulled out an empty potion bottle in the shape of a test tube and collected Myrna’s… the saint’s tears.

“…Huh?”

“Ah, you were surprised, weren’t you? I was surprised too.”

“…What?”

I guess she was asking why I was collecting her tears.

It’s a very reasonable feeling.

Anyone would be surprised if their tears were suddenly collected in a test tube.

“Uh, how should I explain this?”

I’ll try to explain it as simply and clearly as possible.

After thinking for a while, I said,

“Myrna, you are a saint.”

Yes. Simple and easy to understand!

I’m so proud of myself!

“…Huh? …Huh!?”

Even though I explained it as simply as possible, Myrna’s face turned bright red and she started shaking her head frantically.

Huh? Isn’t this where she should be happy and say, “Wow! I’m a saint!”? Well, I didn’t really expect Myrna to be that happy about it.

“Huh! Huh!”

She flailed her hands, her face bright red, looking around, and then back at me, turning even redder.

…Huh? Did she not understand?

“Listen, Myrna. Let me clarify to avoid any misunderstandings. From now on, whenever you cry, I will wipe away all your tears! After all, you are my saint!”

Oh. Not just mine, our saint.

Well, it was just a little slip of the tongue.

The important thing is to convey that Myrna is a saint and that her tears have special powers.

There is probably an emblem that signifies “saint”.

Just like the emblem of the Twilight Alchemist, it’s likely a rare upper-level emblem. Myrna is undoubtedly compatible with that emblem.

And the tears of a saint are extremely valuable as alchemical materials.

Even though they’re not dragon materials, they can create a universal elixir.

Moreover, it can also make rare elixirs, but Myrna’s tears had stopped. What a waste. I wish I had a bit more.

No, no!

Myrna’s health is more important!

I must reflect on this.

Still… why has Myrna been making all these funny faces since earlier?

In the end, she started hitting me lightly, while smirking.

It didn’t hurt at all.

“Uh… Craft… onii-sama… idiot.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m aware that I’m an idiot.”

Suddenly, she dissed me. Am I really that unreliable?

I felt a bit down, but I pulled myself together and started thinking about how to break the current situation.

The saint’s tears are an extremely excellent material.

Among other things, I can create something that could be a trump card against the Hydra.

For now, I don’t have a concrete plan on how to use it, but I need to be ready for any sudden developments.

I decided to start alchemizing that trump card.

“Myrna, I need to do some work.”

“…Okay.”

The worried look she had a moment ago was gone, and she was now smiling shyly, finally stopping hitting me.

She must be both embarrassed and happy about being called a saint.

I took out the alchemy pot from my spatial storage and set it up.

I had brought it with me this time.

Myrna watched my work with great interest.

I’m glad to see her feeling better.

I took out the rare intermediate potions and materials.

“…Alright, I have enough materials.”

The first thing I’ll make is an intermediate potion using the saint’s tears.

I threw the precious materials into the pot without hesitation, and finally added the saint’s tears I had just collected.

I held my hand over the alchemy pot, constructed a magic formula, and infused it with magic power, activating the alchemy magic.

“[Alchemy: Holy Elixir No. 999]”

The magic circle wrapped around the pot and shone brightly as magic power flowed in all at once.

With a puff of smoke, it was done.

An intermediate potion with extraordinary holy power was complete.

I took a portion of the Holy Elixir No. 999 and immediately started throwing in other intermediate potions and materials. Again, a parade of precious materials.

The cost of this will be covered by the Golden Dawn budget later, but the problem is that many of the materials are hard to come by, even with money.

But I won’t hold back. I’ll throw everything in without thinking about the consequences.

When facing a true formidable enemy, those who worry about money first are the ones who die.

I finished the preparations and started alchemizing the trump card.

The pot was once again enveloped in a glowing magic circle.

The pot was filled with an amber liquid, enough to fill a barrel.

Carefully, I transferred the trump card into the barrel.

With the remaining Holy Elixir No. 999, I could make exactly one Elixir, so I alchemized it as well.

The universal elixir, known as the Elixir, is a miraculous potion that can completely heal injuries and illnesses as long as the person isn’t dead. It can even cure moderate curses. It’s truly a universal medicine.

Few know that it can also be used as an ointment and is delicious when consumed.

As I filled the Elixir into a small bottle, Myrna tugged at my cloak.

“What is it?”

“…What’s this?”

Myrna pointed at the barrel containing the trump card.

I smiled and answered her.

“That is [Sacred Sake].”

It’s not the usual sacred sake (omiki) used for offerings. It’s the real thing, imbued with holy power.

◆

I re-evaluated the Sacred Sake.

This amber-colored sake is mainly used in religious ceremonies.

How it’s used in which ceremonies, only those with the emblem of a priest or high-ranking church officials would know.

If that’s all it was, it would still be very precious but just a mere offering.

However, this Sacred Sake has another amazing effect.

It makes some alcohol-loving monsters unable to resist the urge to drink it. And when they do, they become extremely intoxicated!

That eight-headed Hydra is undoubtedly an alcohol lover. It won’t be able to resist the temptation of the Sacred Sake.

No matter how powerful a monster is, if it gets drunk, it won’t be a threat.

With my usual light-hearted attitude, I’ll defeat it easily!

Feeling confident in our victory, my lightened mood made me curious about another fact revealed in the evaluation.

It seems that this Sacred Sake is “incredibly delicious.”

The rich aroma had been wafting from the barrel for a while now.

I swallowed hard.

“Well… maybe just a taste…”

Just one cup with a ladle.

There’s plenty in the barrel, so a little bit should be fine, I justified to myself as I took a sip.

Wowwwwwwwwwww!

The rich aroma pierced my nostrils, gently burning my throat, and filling my stomach with happiness!

Though it had a very soft texture, it had a sharp finish without leaving any aftertaste!

Ahhh!

The happiness vanished from my mouth!

Just! One more sip!

As I sipped the sake, the happiness returned.

“Ahhh… this is… Sacred Sake…”

I had given up trying to describe its deliciousness in words.

Anyway… it’s delicious.

And then, the taste slowly faded away.

“Ju-just a little more…!”

It’s okay!

There’s still plenty left!

As I eagerly moved the ladle, Myrna tugged strongly at my cloak, snapping me out of it.

I came back to my senses after downing the fifth cup.

“This is, well, more like a taste test or a test…”

At that point, I stopped speaking and bowed my head deeply.

“I’m sorry! I got carried away with the sake! I apologize!!”

Peeking at Myrna, I saw her looking down at me with half-closed eyes.

She was completely exasperated!

I kept bowing my head repeatedly, like a bowing insect!

Ugh… I’ve only been disappointing Myrna since earlier…

Feeling deeply depressed, I contacted Raidoc.