''Raffy, you're still insanely strong...''
Well, I'm an S-level adventurer, after all.

　Raffy replies with a bit of embarrassment as she pulls out the sword stuck in Skeleton's skull. Looking at the picture alone, it's no surprise that it's one of those horror scenes.

　If you add the option of blood to this, it's sure to be a traumatic experience for those who witness it.

　However, that state of affairs didn't last long.
　The skeleton's body collapsed at Raffy's feet, collapsing in tatters into ashes.

　The ashes were swept away by the wind and danced in the sky, and in the end there was nothing left but a fist-sized stone that glowed purple.

'Hmm, a magic stone. That's unusual.''

　Raffy picks up a stone and stares at it sullenly.
　A demon stone is a crystallized form of magical power, which can be used to make magical tools like the ring used by the Wraith.

　The stronger the demon, the more powerful the demon tends to have inside its body, the more magical power it generates inside the body of the demon, acting as a power source.

　In her profession as an adventurer who hunts demons, Raffy has seen demon stones many times. But when it comes to the size of a fist, it's only a few times.

'Wow, I've never seen a magic stone like this before.
Well, they don't always get this big.
I guess.

　Wraith also knows about the existence of magic stones as knowledge. I also wanted to apply it to alchemy, but unfortunately I didn't have that opportunity.

　Anyway, the recovery of the materials, which was the objective, was successfully completed. It's a pity that the materials were buried in the wreckage of the house, but it can't be helped. Despite feeling sad, Wraith said goodbye in his mind.

''Well. It was kind of a waste of time, let's hurry back.''
Yeah, I know.

　The sun is already on the verge of setting and darkness is shrouding the forest. There was no point in thinking about the time it would take to make potions when they returned, but it was better to get back early.

　Of course there was fatigue, but Wraith and Raffy didn't feel weak.


　*****


　By the time Wraith and Raffy returned to the King's Capital, the sky was dark. About two days have passed since they left the royal capital to return.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to find a way to get a job. However, this is Wraith's guess, and since it can't be assured that there is no doubt about it, we can't let our guard down.

　When they hurried back to the house, Sylvia was still sleeping on the bed. Her heart ached as she occasionally moaned in pain.

　Beside the bed, Amelia was asleep in a sitting position, probably from the exhaustion of nursing her. She had been with Sylvia the entire time Lace and Raffy had been gone.

　She cooked food for Sylvia, who couldn't move, and wiped her body clean for her. While I was nursing her, I was just praying for Sylvia's recovery.

''Thank you,''

　Raffy whispered her thanks and then gently draped the blanket over Amelia's shoulders so as not to wake her up.

'Well, I'm going to go make a potion. I don't know how long it will take, yet, but I'll try my best to make it as fast as possible.
Yeah, okay.

　Wraith said, and entered the work room that Raffy had lent him. From here on out, it's already completely the domain of Wraith, the alchemist.

　As much as Raffy worked hard for him in the forest, Wraith has to work hard now.
　He had no intention of resting since he had taken a minimal nap and so on.

''Well, let's get started.''

　I open my bag and mutter in a motivated voice. I have all the recipes and other things in my head, so there's no problem.

''I need a workshop...''

　Although there is no major problem without a workshop, it is certainly more convenient to have one. Perhaps it's because Wraith has become accustomed to the environment that his master has prepared for him, but it can feel even more inconvenient. In particular, the materials this time around were special.

'Demons, huh?'

　The material is a demon. Its name is Vet.
　It is a demon that lives in the north and prefers the extremely cold environment, and it's rank is SS. It is a plant that has a will and is famous for using powerful magic.

　Of course, Wraith didn't defeat such a terribly strong demon. His master defeated it to use it for his experiments.

　The Wraiths took over the remainder of it.

　One of the greatest characteristics of this demon is that it eats (...) magic power (..). It absorbs the magic power of anything it touches, albeit in small amounts.

　If the Vette were alive, its nature would be extremely vicious, but after it was defeated, it mainly attracted attention for its medical use.

　The magic crystal disease is a disease in which magic power crystallizes. It was difficult to treat it using ordinary methods.

　That's where Vette, which absorbs magic power directly, comes into play.

　However, there is a risk that if it is taken into the body as a plant, all the magic power will be absorbed and you will die. For this reason, Vet was also known to be a difficult material to handle.

　In the past, there had been cases of patients dying after taking in vets that had been improperly processed. There is absolutely no room for error.

'We fray the dried vets, soak them in water and heat them at the right temperature. The rest is alchemy processed.

　Lace ruminates and checks the processing method.
　I've let it dry during the storage stage, so if you follow the steps, you'll be fine.

'Good.'

　After putting on the magic blocking glove, I take the Vette in my hand. This is because if a wraith, who is not a mage, touches it with his bare hands, it might take his consciousness away.

　He rubs it firmly, feeling the somewhat stringy hardness of the jade-colored Vette. After about five minutes of this, the hard feeling slowly but surely disappears.

''I guess it's like this.''

　Wraith stops rubbing and puts the vet into an ordinary pot of water.

　Vet is incompatible with magic tools that have magical effects due to its nature of absorbing magic power. That's why my beloved tools are in storage this time.

''I miss it........''

　When he began his alchemy, he didn't have the skills or the tools yet. Wraith felt a nostalgic feeling, but he started heating.

　Since the goal is to kill most of the bacteria before using the 'purification', the heating is limited to the extent that the form does not change.

　After waiting a few minutes, Lace took out the vette. Drain the water and place it in a jar for potions.

''Extract,'' ''Purify,'' and ''Sublimate.''

　If I were to create a normal potion, I would use the 'fixed ingredient' alchemy as well, but this time it's not necessary because it's not a potion that uses the effects of medicine.

　What is more important is "sublimation".

　Normally, it is an alchemy to increase the efficacy of the medicinal effect, but this time the role is different. It is not to increase the efficacy, but to lower it.

　After all, it is used to suppress the magical absorption properties of the Vet.

　This is the difficult part of processing vets, and most of the failures were due to not being able to use the Sublimation function properly.

　However, even though there are many alchemists who can use 'sublimation' to increase the efficacy, there are few alchemists who can do the opposite.

　It's an impossible feat unless you're an expert who can deliberately manipulate alchemy.

''Huh........''

　A pale, jade-colored liquid forms in front of the Wraith. There is no stagnation whatsoever, and even if it were called a work of art, it wouldn't feel strange.

''All that's left is for Sylvia to drink this........''

　He sits down in his chair, fatigue seeping through the edges of his words. As expected, the fatigue of the body is not ridiculous.

　Wraith meditated and fell asleep within a few minutes.