Alter-Drug

Chapter 3 - Doesn’t Mean That I Can’t

Zwart Forest seemed to go on for miles and miles without end.

The group left the camp and protected the few horse carriages in between as they slowly traveled down a narrow path.

This was Carl’s third day with the group. He had been observing them in silence and even though he had not gone around asking any questions, he still managed to gather some useful information.

For example, he knew where they were headed. There was a castle facing the sea at the northernmost tip of Zwart Forest. That was Melissa’s fief.

He also found out that until just half a month ago, Countess Melissa was still living in the capital and was a fairly powerful figure too.

Alas, the old king died and a new king ascended the throne.

That was when Melissa suddenly got everyone to pack their bags and head toward her castle instead.

As for why she had to do this, Ralph, Milton and some of the other knights probably knew the reason, but they knew they had to keep it a secret and did not let any information about this matter slip.

The rest of the group was made up of squires, so they did not know any details. Carl had managed to guess that this excursion had something to do with the infighting within the palace from some of the other things the squires had been talking about.

They had only gone halfway when they ran into an assassination attempt.

The competition between aristocrats could be so cruel.

The group had also gone past several towns along the way, but Melissa never stopped to ask any of the aristocratic governors these towns belonged to for help. This was a very strange thing to Carl as well.

Of course, the boy did not ask any questions about these decisions. He knew that as much as he was observing everybody around him, everyone was also observing his behavior.

Neither side trusted each other yet, so it was best not to do anything rash.

In fact, he was right about that.

The lavishly furnished horse carriage in the middle of the group was very spacious.

Melissa lay on her side and wore a thin and loose chiffon dress, not caring in the least that a lot of her fair skin was exposed.

Her light blue eyes were as calm as lake water.

Just a moment later, she sensed something and her eyes lit up as she smiled faintly at the empty space before her and said, “Anita, you’re back.”

The air in the space in one corner of the carriage became blurry as a small figure walked out from thin air. “Mistress.”

“How did the investigation go?” asked Melissa.

Anita replied, “He’s been very honest. Everything he said is true.”

“There’s just this one problem...“ She hesitated for a moment, then continued, “His father was actually a really awful apothecary and moved to the countryside precisely because he wasn’t capable enough to survive in the city. This boy has grown up in a village like that, so how did he become such an expert in medicine?”

“Anita, you must admit that geniuses exist in this world,” said Melissa as she laughed even more merrily. “Looks like lady luck is on my side and this has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I’ve actually found myself a genius apothecary.”

Anita wanted to say more but kept quiet again, because it was true that she did not really have any good arguments to make.

She had confirmed Carl’s background many, many times. There was absolutely nothing extraordinary about this boy’s life thus far.

In fact, she was also very certain that if Ralph had not barged into the town purely by coincidence that night, Carl would probably have been killed by the miller.

At the same time, Melissa came to a conclusion on this matter. She waved a hand and said, “Also, tell Milton that he can repay Carl for saving his life.”

Milton was right outside the carriage and received the message with a twitch of his ears.

He bowed slightly, then rode his horse towards Carl and said respectfully to the younger man, “Mr. Carl, we should be able to reach Eisen Castle in about three days’ time. It’s a little late, but I still want to express my gratitude for saving my life. If you hadn’t done that, I would probably have returned to my late mother’s side.”

“I just did what an apothecary ought to,” said Carl humbly.

Milton looked a little impressed by Carl’s humility and said, “You just have to say the word and I’ll do my best to fulfill any wish you have, even at the expense of my own life.”

Carl could not help but ask, “Then… can I ask you a question? What should I do to become as powerful as you?”

Milton looked back at Carl in surprise and asked hesitantly, “You want to become a knight?”

“Not necessarily,” declared Carl. “As long as I can become more powerful, I don’t care what I become.”

He had heard that the one who made an attempt on Melissa’s life was a very formidable assassin. Since knights and assassins existed, did other “classes” exist?

His conjecture turned out to be correct.

Milton went on to explain, “Mr. Carl, it’s a big, big world out there and there are plenty of powerful professions. For example, there are knights, warriors, mages, alchemists and more.”

“Knights and warriors require strong bodies, while mages and alchemists need a mysterious sort of psychokinetic power that I don’t really understand.”

Milton continued elaborating on what he meant. “Take myself, for example. I started training as a child, then became a knight’s squire when I turned 13 and trained myself harder in the military. When I turned 21, I did well in a battle and earned the right to become a knight.”

He said proudly, “After that, I agreed to work for the Karolin family and became one of their subordinates. Then I swore allegiance to Countess Melissa and was given a secret drug which helped me successfully become a knight.”

“A secret drug?” This was important information to Carl.

“That’s right, a secret drug,” said Milton frankly as he nodded. “Regardless of whether you’re a knight or a warrior, you have to consume a special drug before you get the chance to possess supernatural powers. In fact, those who succeed are in the minority. Most people fail.”

There was actually a chance of failing. Carl went into deep thought, then said very sincerely, “Thank you for telling me about this.”

If not for this conversation, he would have thought that he could attain supernatural power by just training his physical body and toughening himself up.

It was now clear that things were not as simple as he had imagined. Or perhaps, there were other secrets he still did not know about.

“You’re welcome,” said Milton with a smile. “Mr. Carl, Her Ladyship is always generous to subordinates who are loyal to her. As long as you are able to prove yourself, I’m sure she will also give you this secret drug.”

“Got it.” Carl nodded. This was definitely one way of becoming more powerful.

Carl and Milton were sincere in becoming friends, so they continued chatting amiably.

The sun had set, so the group found a suitable place to stop for the night.

After the camp had been set up, Carl walked to the middle of the camp and stood at the entrance to the most luxurious tent. Everyone was shocked as they watched Carl take the initiative to request a meeting with Her Ladyship.

The maid outside the tent was surprised by this request and quickly ran into the tent to check with Melissa.

A short while later, she had a puzzled look on her face as she invited Carl into the tent. She had been sure that Melissa would refuse to see the boy.

The apothecary walked into the tent by himself. Through the translucent curtain, he could see that Melissa was lying on her side, her pretty and elegant feet peeking out, suspended in the air above the ground like the moon in the sky.

“You asked to see me?” Melissa’s voice sounded lazy yet charming.

“Your Ladyship,” started Carl, “I want to have superpowers, so could you give me the secret drug that would help me do so?”

Melissa was taken aback at first, then burst out laughing at Carl’s ignorance.

She did not chide him, however, and smiled brightly as she said, “And what can you give me in return? I’m afraid saving Milton’s life isn’t quite enough.”

“In that case, can you tell me how I can make this drug myself?”

“What a naïve little fellow,” said Melissa as she chortled and pulled her feet back under her skirt. “Do you know where this drug comes from?”

“No.” Carl shook his head.

Melissa’s voice became more stern now. “Carl, I know you’re talented in this area and you might even be a genius apothecary. But I must tell you now that the one thing this world doesn’t lack is talent.”

“You were born in a small town and you’ve never seen the world, so I can understand why you might think that you are capable of making this drug.”

“Tooda Kingdom has thirteen states, five family territories, nearly a thousand governors, and spans across thousands and thousands of kilometers. It is also home to almost 500 million citizens. Can you imagine how big this kingdom is?”

“But in terms of power within the Red Moon Continent, Tooda Kingdom is somewhere in the middle, toward the bottom half. We’re not a powerful country at all.”

Melissa’s tone of voice became sarcastic, “It’s such a pity that someone I know doesn’t seem to have any self-awareness and thinks he’s the king of the world after some people sang his praises… Hmph!”

Carl had no idea who she was talking about and wished Melissa would continue to talk about the political situation of the Red Moon Continent.

Unfortunately for him, Melissa did not expound on that topic. “Tooda Kingdom is a huge country, so we recruited countless talents to study the science behind making this drug, but nobody could figure it out. Do you really think you can?”

“Why not?” Carl remained confident in himself. “Just because others can’t, doesn’t mean I won’t be able to as well.”

“What audacious words!” Melissa burst out laughing again. “This secret drug is very valuable because only two places in the whole world produce it and sell it to various countries. One is the temple and the other is Rahde, otherwise known as the City of Freedom!”

“There’s no point in trying to get any information from the temple. The making of this drug has always been the temple’s greatest secret. Most of the priests and deacons are not privy to this secret. Only the High Priest knows how to do this.”

“As for Rahde, that’s a place overflowing with mages and alchemists. As long as you are willing to pay the price, you can get your hands on the formula. But that’s all you’ll get.”

Melissa’s eyes flickered as she went on, “In fact, this is actually a display of their arrogance, because they are absolutely certain that even if you get a copy of the formula, you still won’t be able to make the drug yourself.”

“And so far, the reality has proven their arrogance justified.”

Melissa shook her head. “Actually, the formula isn’t a big secret among the various countries. Everybody hopes to be able to reproduce this drug, but nobody has succeeded.”

“Who knows? What if I succeed?” Carl refused to give up.

“Every person who failed had said that before. They all think that they’re the most special and talented person in the world.”

Melissa continued in a nonchalant voice, “Also, making this drug requires a lot of rare and expensive ingredients, and they will cost more than you can ever imagine. I won’t let you just tinker around with such things.”

“Unless…” She paused and stared straight at him.

Carl’s eyes lit up. “Unless what?”

“Unless you can help me kill someone!” Melissa drew the curtain back. Her facial features were delicate and her beauty was breathtaking, but the look in her eyes was sinister enough to send chills down one’s spine.