Ha-Yeong said she was fine, but I still walked her to the door.
Back in modern times, when I spent the night with a woman, we would often wake up together and have breakfast in the morning. I believed that even the slightest brush of fate—like the meeting of two people—shouldn't be disregarded without a word. Leaving abruptly without any acknowledgment felt discourteous to me. Of course, back then, I still had an untainted sense of innocence, which made such gestures natural.
And now, this was all I could do for Ha-Yeong.
After seeing her into her room, I turned and made my way toward the door of the room designated for work. Just as I reached out for the doorknob, the door suddenly swung open on its own.
"Ah, Leader."
Standing in front of me was Shin Sang-Yong, a male player with glasses. His face was slightly flushed, and he looked a bit surprised to see me there.
"Are you done looking around?"
"Ah, no. Haha. I just needed to grab something under my master's orders."
"I see..."
"Yes. Well then, I'll leave you to your conversation."
It must have been an urgent matter because Shin Sang-Yong simply bowed his head and hurried past me. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of conversation had taken place inside to make someone as quiet as him act like that.
Curious, I stepped into the room. Inside, I saw Vivienne nodding to herself as she surveyed the space. Sensing my presence, she turned her head toward the door.
"Su-Hyeon?"
"Yeah."
"Are you done talking?"
"Yeah… Anyway, what do you think of the room? Do you think it can be remodeled into a workshop? Of course, we'd have to consider demolition carefully—we can't go around damaging an innocent inn."
"Hmm..."
Vivienne let out a small groan at my question, then started glancing at me nervously. I frowned, wondering what was up with her, when she suddenly reached into her robes and pulled out a long, thin object with legs.
Then, to my utter bewilderment, she put it on her face.
"You… What is that?"
"Huh? You don't know? According to Shin Sang-Yong, this is called glasses."
"Glasses? Don't joke around." I almost said, but seeing the pride gleaming in her eyes, I instinctively shut my mouth.
"I mean… yeah. But how do you even have that?"
"What do you mean, how? Did you forget what my profession is? Making something this simple is a piece of cake for me! S-So? What do you think?"
It was true that some modern items could be recreated within Hall Plain. But even so, what Vivienne was wearing barely resembled actual glasses.
Noticing my expression, she puffed up her cheeks in frustration and spoke again.
"Hmph. What's wrong with these glasses? They look good on me." Vivienne huffed.
"I never said anything. But making something pointless just because it 'looks good'? You're not a kid."
At my criticism, Vivienne flared up.
"It's not like it's harmful or anything! Alchemists are naturally curious, you know?"
"You look like a Westerner. It doesn't suit you."
"Mind your own business!"
She shouted back, yanking off the glasses with a scowl. Even after that, she kept breathing heavily in frustration before finally letting out a long sigh and shaking her head. Was she… rebelling against me?
"…Sigh. Anyway, just get to the point. What exactly do you need a workshop for?"
I was debating whether to mess with her a little more when her deflated voice caught my attention. But glasses weren't the priority right now.
Without another word, I reached into my robe and pulled out two items.
The moment Vivienne laid eyes on them, her eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Kim Su-Hyeon… This is…"
As expected of an alchemist, Vivienne had a keen eye. The moment she saw the two objects I pulled out, she swallowed hard. Holding them up one by one, I began explaining.
"Yeah. One is the demon heart I extracted from Belphegor's body back at the lab. The other is a type of spirit core that served as the central component of your own body. Come to think of it… Shin Sang-Yong isn't here."
"I sent him to fetch something—wait… Su-Hyeon, don't tell me…"
Vivienne's voice was calm at first, but as she connected the dots, her expression shifted. She trailed off, then switched tracks mid-sentence. When I nodded in confirmation, her eyes widened in shock. But instead of responding immediately, she closed her eyes and retreated into her own world.
I didn't rush her.
Mages and alchemists often got like this—it came with the job. This was exactly why I preferred talking to people in these professions. There was no need for long-winded explanations; they understood with just a few hints. Of course, if they went off on endless tangents, it could be a problem, but for now, I decided to wait in silence.
Though her eyes were shut, her lips moved rapidly. Sensing that she was muttering to herself, I leaned in slightly to catch what she was saying.
"…It's definitely possible. But the demon's heart is overflowing with demonic energy… Ah. If Su-Hyeon can purify it like last time, that changes things. Yeah… Hmm. That could work.
The quality of my core is a bit lower, that's true. But considering it has been circulating magical energy for years, it's hard to call it just an ordinary mana stone. And if there's no clash between them, the quality won't matter anymore. But in that case, efficiency would drop significantly. Right. That's why Shin Sang-Yong is necessary.
If we use his Harmony Magic Circle or whatever it's called, there's a chance we can solve both issues at once… Yeah. It's not entirely impossible…"
Vivienne's frown deepened as her thoughts grew more tangled. She was mumbling rapidly, lost in calculations, before finally opening her eyes and speaking to me.
"You want to refine these using Shin Sang-Yong's Harmony Magic Circle, right?"
"Exactly. Right on the mark."
"It's certainly… Ugh. I can't say for certain. This is really tricky."
"Let's give it a shot. Even if we fail, I won't blame you."
At my words, Vivienne's pride was clearly wounded. She pursed her lips, tapping them lightly with her slender fingers, then firmly shook her head.
"Su-Hyeon, I think we should put the workshop construction on hold for now."
"Huh? Wait… why?"
Her refusal was completely unexpected, leaving me momentarily stunned. Seeing my reaction, Vivienne sighed and began explaining calmly.
"I'm not saying we shouldn't do it at all—I just want to delay it. Simply put, this place is way too inadequate. If it were just brewing a potion or two, sure. But with materials of this caliber and the complex process you have in mind, this environment just won't cut it.
I mean, technically, we could force it. But then we'd be sacrificing way too much potential. Ugh, I know my explanation is a bit all over the place, but this is throwing me off. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is—I just don't want to do this here. It's not like we're in a rush, right?"
"So… you think it'd be a waste of materials?"
Vivienne solemnly nodded.
"Yes. Alchemists constantly challenge the impossible to make possibilities a reality—but that's only when we don't have to worry about materials. Using such high-quality resources in a place like this? It's too much of a waste. Even if we had a fully equipped workshop, it'd still be tricky.
But if we take our time to set up proper facilities and gather additional resources, we can increase our chances of success exponentially."
"Mm…"
"If you insist on pushing forward despite all these disadvantages, I'll follow your decision. But if you're asking for the opinion of Vivienne the Alchemist, I'd say we should hold off for now.
Just this once, listen to me."
Vivienne's words were more logical and unwavering than before. She wasn't saying it couldn't be done—just that the probability of success was the issue. And since she'd still follow my orders if I insisted, I couldn't exactly argue.
Smacking my lips in thought, I made my decision.
"Well, they do say that haste makes waste."
"Never heard that before, but it's a good saying. You made the right choice. Hoho."
Vivienne beamed, clearly pleased that I had listened to her. I found myself quietly watching her smile.
Bit by bit, her old personality was fading away. Given everything ahead of us, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Still, I couldn't help but feel a little… nostalgic.
With a sigh, I tucked the two items back into my robe. Thinking about it now, I had been so fixated on boosting my physical stats that I'd rushed into this without much thought.
Vivienne, watching me like a proud teacher, had an almost smug expression. That alone made me suspicious.
"…You're acting strange. This isn't like you at all. It's suspicious."
Vivienne snorted, then let out a soft chuckle.
For some reason, that irritated me. It wasn't even something to be mad about, yet an odd sense of annoyance bubbled up.
Vivienne sighed dramatically before speaking again, her tone teasing and playful.
"Sigh~ Kim Su-Hyeon, listen up. My name is Vivienne La Clacidas. My family may be gone now, but I once carried that name with great pride. Now that I'm human again, I'm regaining my rationality.
So if you think I'm going to act all childish like before, you're mistaken. Honestly, even I find my past self embarrassing.
And for the record, I'm twenty-four in human years! So I'd appreciate it if you treated me accordingly."
She explained all this calmly, but her tone and attitude rubbed me the wrong way.
Tilting my head slightly, I took a step closer and raised my hand. My stance was clearly meant to be threatening, yet Vivienne merely scoffed.
"Pfft. Oh, please. You can drop the act. How long are you going to treat me like some clueless kid? I am a skilled alchemist, you know. No matter what you do—"
Before she could finish, I channeled the power of Hwajung into my palm.
The moment the clear, flickering flames erupted with a soft crackle, Vivienne fell silent.
She quickly masked it, pretending not to care, but I had definitely seen it—the brief flash of fear in her eyes.
"…Hah! You think I'd flinch at that? For your information, back in my day—"
Letting her ramble, I casually snapped my fingers.
"H-Hyah?!"
A sharp snap! echoed through the room as a flicker of flame latched onto Vivienne's hair.
Of course, I had no intention of actually hurting her. Hwajung could be controlled at will—I could ignite and extinguish it as easily as breathing.
It was just a harmless little fire. But there was no way she knew that.
"KYAAA! KYAAAAH! YOU REALLY DID IT?! YOU ACTUALLY DID IT?! KYAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
She shrieked, flailing as she dashed around the room. She rubbed her head against the bed, hopped up and down, and spun in frantic circles.
The composed, rational Vivienne from moments ago? Completely gone. She was now dancing like a crazed worm, utterly losing her mind.
Raising my hand once more, I watched her reaction closely.
And, sure enough—
"Hiiing… N-Nooo… Don't do it… Don't bully meee… Hnnngh…"
"Hmm… Now that sounds more like the real Vivienne. Thought I was talking to someone else for a second there."
Muttering to myself, I casually snapped my fingers again, extinguishing the harmless flames.
The moment she realized her hair was completely intact, Vivienne frantically patted her head, checking every strand. Finding her precious jet-black locks unharmed, she clenched her teeth and seethed with rage.
"Youuuu…! What the hell was that?! And what do you mean by that?!"
"Oh. Thought you were a doppelgänger. If you were a monster, I was just gonna take you out—"
"ARE YOU SERIOUSLY CALLING THAT A JUSTIFICATION?! YOU ABSOLUTE BASTARD! What did I even do to deserve this?! If you keep treating me like this, then I'll—!"
"Oh?"
Before she could finish, I casually pulled out the contract—the one I always kept close. Holding it up, I let it flutter slightly in the air.
The moment Vivienne saw it, she went dead silent.
Her expression was priceless—pure disbelief, like she couldn't decide whether to cry or scream.
Her lips trembled as she forced a smile, but her watery eyes betrayed her. She was caught between laughing and sobbing, and while I could have felt bad, the sheer ridiculousness of it was making it hard to keep a straight face.
Barely suppressing a chuckle, I steadied my voice and spoke.
"And then… what?"
"H-Huh? I… w-what?"
"You called me… what again?"
I trailed off deliberately, watching her face go pale.
She took a deep breath, but the tears welling up in her eyes were impossible to hide.
Still—she smiled.
"Hehe… Hehehe… Hehehehe. I, I must have been a bit out of my mind for a moment… sniff… Ah… sniff… I… sniff… see… Hehe… Ho… sob… Huuu… Huuuuaaaang…."
In the end, as if unable to hold back the overwhelming sorrow, Vivienne, who had been forcing a smile, finally burst into tears. Seeing her crying loudly, I quickly began to comfort her.
.
.
.
You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
200 Power Stones for 1 extra chapter.
5 New reviews for 1 extra chapter.
Goal refresh every week.