“So I just made one bottle. Thought I’d try it out myself when I had the time. But then…”
He let out a long sigh and looked around at the mess.
“When I woke up from a short nap, it was gone.”
“Oh…”
“Well, it must’ve rolled off somewhere. Maybe under the bookshelf or something.”
Ansen trailed off and resumed rummaging through the pile of books beside him. Then, turning to glance at me, he added,
“Come to think of it, Lady, you seem to be free right now.”
“……”
“How about helping me look for it? I’ve been at this for days now—I’m starting to see potions in my dreams.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
Did he seriously just try to boss around the daughter of the house?
But he went on casually.
“Of course, if you find it, I’ll let you try it. It’s supposed to have incredible effects on abilities…”
He suddenly flinched.
“…Ah. Lady Cecilia, you’re not an Awakened, are you? Sorry. I wasn’t trying to tease—I just confused you for your terrifying father for a moment.”
“It’s not Cecilia. It’s Selenea.”
“…Same difference. Ah, and don’t worry about mistaking it for another potion. Just in case, I put a huge label on it—‘Drink this and you’ll die.’ You might find it if you check over there…”
He gestured behind me with a flick of his eyes, then bent to search beneath another bookshelf.
Suppressing a sigh, I shook my head.
What’s the point in looking like that? He’s not going to find it anyway.
That’s because, a few days ago, someone had swiped Ansen’s potion from the library and handed it to me.
But who?
Who gave me that potion, pushing me into this whole situation?
As I pondered with a soft hum, I finally spoke to the dust-covered Ansen, who was coughing from the dirt.
“Hey, Ansen. Maybe it’s time to just give up?”
He turned to me with a bewildered expression, as if asking what the hell I was on about.
“I have a pretty strong intuition, and I’m getting the feeling we’re not going to find that potion.”
Because it’s already inside my stomach…
Well, it’s probably fully digested by now. But then, something struck me.
Wait. If it’s Ansen, wouldn’t he know why I collapsed after drinking the Tear of the Gods?
I sprang to my feet and marched over to him. He jumped up in surprise.
“Ansen! I suddenly have a question!”
“…Let’s take a step back. Do you not realize how terrifying your expression is right now?”
“Just listen seriously! What happens if a non-Awakened person drinks a potion?”
“Well… nothing, really. As you know, Awakened people have a special type of mana flowing through their bodies that’s tuned for supernatural abilities.”
I nodded, though I didn’t really understand.
“My potions are made to react to that specific mana. So for a non-Awakened person, it’s basically just… really expensive water?”
“I knew it!”
“Yeah, I guess… that’s right.”
Ansen gave me an odd look. After a pause, I pressed further, eyes gleaming.
“Then what if a non-Awakened person did drink the potion and passed out?”
He furrowed his brow.
“What are you even talking about?”
“No, just imagine. A non-Awakened person drinks it, passes out, then wakes up a few hours later! Why would that happen?”
Ansen stared at me for a long time with wide eyes. Then he finally asked,
“…How much did they drink?”
“Let’s say… the whole bottle. Full concentration!”
I held up my fingers to show the approximate size. His eyes narrowed.
After a bit of thought, he answered,
“Well, they definitely wouldn’t be human. Maybe a mutant or something.”
I was momentarily speechless.
“…A mutant? Why wouldn’t they be human?”
“Isn’t it obvious? A normal person, no matter how much they drink, would be fine. There’s no mana in their system to react to the potion.”
I nodded slowly.
“But this person wasn’t fine. They collapsed after drinking it, remember?”
Tapping his forehead with a finger, Ansen continued,
“That means their body did have mana flowing through it, enough to react to the potion.”
He had a point. But something felt off. The logic didn’t quite line up.
According to Ansen, only people with mana—Awakened ones—would react to the potion.
But Selenea… I wasn’t an Awakened.
I didn’t have any abilities either. And yet, I collapsed after drinking the Tear of the Gods.
“…No way.”
I muttered, my voice slightly trembling.
“Am I actually… an Awakened?”
I looked at Ansen, eyes filled with a faint hope. But he just scratched his head with an unimpressed expression.
“That’d be… weird, actually.”
“Why?”
“Well, if that person really were Awakened, they wouldn’t just faint from drinking the whole bottle. They’d be dead. Like, blood-vomiting, body-shaking, heart-stopping kind of dead.”
“……”
“I told you—too much of it is dangerous. The mana would overload and burn them out from the inside.”
I fell silent, imagining the grotesque scene. Ansen went on, mumbling to himself.
“So yeah, it doesn’t make sense. Not a normal human, not an Awakened. What else is left? A mutant, I guess.”
“……”
“Wait… maybe a beast or monster? Their mana systems are totally different…”
I looked at him with a blank expression, but Ansen seemed oddly excited.
“You know, the more I think about it, this is a really interesting hypothesis. I thought it was nonsense at first, but it might be worth researching!”
He spun around, picking up a few books from the floor. His face looked noticeably more energized.
“Lady, you’re quicker than I expected. Coming up with something so curious in such a short time. I’m honestly impressed.”
I just snorted quietly, but he kept smiling.
“Truth is, my research’s been stalled ever since I lost that damn potion bottle.”
Sensing what was coming next, I instinctively stepped back.
This feels… a lot like when your manager dumps their work on you.
I shook my head desperately before he could finish, but he was already one step closer.
“So, I was thinking…”
He flashed a scheming smile and opened his mouth—right as the tightly shut library doors burst open.
“Young Lady! Sorry to keep you waiting!”
Anna stood at the door, holding a silver tray with cake and sherbet.
“…And then he just popped out of nowhere! Who sleeps and eats in the library, seriously?!”
At my flustered rant, Anna giggled softly.
“Well, the library’s usually empty. Maybe he didn’t expect anyone to come?”
I reluctantly nodded and put down my fork.
“Maybe. But… no one really uses the library?”
“Not usually. The master always uses his private study. Oh, though I’ve seen a few guests use it from time to time.”
“I see.”
I nodded absently and popped the rest of the cake into my mouth.
Suddenly, Ansen’s exhausted face popped back into my mind.
…Seriously? A mutant?
His words kept bugging me.
“Calling someone a monster or a mutant, seriously…”
A dry laugh escaped me.
As I sipped the tangy orange sherbet, I muttered under my breath.
“Absolutely ridiculous.”
Anna paused her cleaning and turned toward me.
“Did something happen with Sir Ansen in the library?”
“Sir Ansen?”
“Oh, he’s not a frontline knight or anything, but he is part of the Order. The master granted him a knight title.”
“That wimpy guy’s a knight?”
Anna laughed brightly, saying, “He doesn’t really look the part, does he?”
I shoved another bite of cake into my mouth silently.
Only a small piece was left. Anna kept chattering.
“He’s quite unique. Not from a noble family, but extremely talented.”
I recalled how he had conjured that massive pillar of fire and nodded.
“Yeah. He can use some crazy abilities.”
Anna’s eyes widened.
“Oh, right! He does have abilities. But I meant he’s amazing with potions and medicine.”
Right. He was an expert in alchemy. I asked,
“Is Ansen really well-known for making potions?”
“Well, he became famous after coming here.”
I set down my fork, curiosity piqued. Anna smiled at my reaction.
“Sir Ansen was brought here by the master a few years ago—he found him during a visit to a conflict zone. Heard he scouted him from a mercenary group.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. He was making healing potions for the mercenaries, and the master was impressed. But then…”
“But?”
“On the way back, they got ambushed by a horde of enraged monsters. I heard there were a lot of them.”
I swallowed hard, completely engrossed.
“Thankfully, the horde was dealt with quickly. The master and the knights were all fine. But then he remembered Ansen, who had been trailing behind… and you know how Sir Ansen is…”
Anna trailed off. I finished her sentence knowingly.
“He looks like he’d collapse from a single punch.”
“Exactly! So the master rushed to the rear to check on him, but then…”
“Then?”
