The events that succeeded the dire wolf incident were as follows:
Rema spent two days with us, watching me in the courtyard, practicing sword fighting with my father, interacting with other nobles, manipulating the shit out of people—you know, proper noble stuff. Obligated by my father, I displayed my violin skills, recited poetic verses, and accompanied her through our flourishing garden, discussing the properties of each plant species.
On paper, I was the embodiment of perfection—handsome, talented, with potential for greatness. Yet, Rema, this vivacious redhead, seemed impervious to all these attributes.
Rema was like a hawk. Waiting. Watching. Always wanting to wring my neck and make me tell her what happened.
Until last night.
Leon and Scarlet decided to set the stage for the definitive moment. They nudged me into the garden, Rema's favorite spot, under the shimmering moonlight for mood lighting… or something, clearly overlooking the fact that we were children of four and seven. Aristocrats.
We meandered towards a particular group of flowers I had reserved for this occasion.
“They really look like ballerinas…” Rema observed, admiring the purple blooms I had pointed out. Indeed, they mimicked the dancers, with a pair of petals gracefully reaching upwards, their base flaring like a twirling skirt.
"That’s why they’re called Dancing Girl Orchids," I confirmed.
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[https://flowerpowerdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Screen-Shot-2020-04-09-at-10.08.57-AM-2.png]
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Oncidium flexuosum—a native of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and parts of Bolivia. Oddly enough, they flourished in Novena, a testament to the unpredictable power of magic.
"And what about this one?" she inquired, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. “It looks like a fairy.”
I bit back the instinct to name it Impatiens bequaertii. "This one is also a Dancing Girl Orchid, but it thrives in a more arid environment," I responded, my expression veiled under the soft moonlight.
Plants had scientific nomenclature for a reason - to distinguish between the countless variations of flowers bearing similar characteristics. Yet, the logic of such a system seemed lost in this place, which I found mildly infuriating.
"Why are you so knowledgeable about plants?" she asked, her lips curling into a faint smile.
“For the same reason that I know a lot about swordsmanship and etiquette,” I said. “It was nearly beaten into me.”
Her finger gently traced her lips as she digested my answer. "So, did they also ‘nearly beat’ sounding like an adult into you?"
“I don’t know, did you get beaten into acting like my dad?” I retorted.
“No, your dad is just girly,” she replied. “So flashy.”
My lips curved into a wry smile, and she giggled at me.
"So why do you sound like an adult?" I retorted.
"I'm a king's daughter. I was trained for politics since birth," she replied. "I was also prepped to come here and appraise you on this trip. This is a rather thing, you know? My turn. Were you trained for this conversation, too?"
"Yes. It was also beaten into me," I deadpanned.
It was a nice moment until her giggle turned into a bone-chilling smile. “So, did they nearly beat that magic into you? With strange words outside the Skylandish language, like ‘hydroxyapatite’?”
I groaned inwardly. This meant that she heard me in the forest. I was impressed she could announce the word, though, and grateful because it made things easier.
“Were my magical words part of another language that you know?” I asked. "Or is there reason you won't believe I hadn't spoken to a goddess?"
The cover story was that a goddess blessed me and gave me the words that saved my life.
“It's because you have mana, you idiot,” Rema growled. "If you hide an ability as serious as having mana before age five, you will be suspected of being a demon lord.”
“You’re being serious?” I scoffed. “People would really consider me possessed by a demon?”
The princess rubbed her eyes with an exasperated expression, looking up to the sky with teary eyes as if to pray for rain and mercy. "People get possessed, grow wings, shed skin, and wreak havoc," she retorted. "It isn't a myth; it's common. If the kingdom believes you're a demon, they will kill you."
"So that wasn't a joke," I bitterly chuckled. "Can't you just use magic to check?"
"If we had that magic, we wouldn't be killing people on suspicion," she replied.
"What do you want from me?" I asked. "To confess villainy? To ensure you're not wed to a demon? Just speak bluntly."
"I like flowers, and I want cobra lilies, dancing girl orchids, and protection," Rema replied. "Most of all, I don't want to marry a grown man at thirteen. That's what I've been trained to do, and it's the worst."
'So, thirty-two is an acceptable age for you?' I silently taunted.
"Are you saying that you wish to marry me?" I asked aloud, maintaining an earnest gaze.
"Only if you reveal your magic," she replied. "Tell people about your power, gain magic, tutors, gain access to the royal library, and eventually enjoy a royal marriage. That's what you should do. Otherwise, you'll live a life of paranoia, weakness, and constant danger of exposure."
My eyes widened when she spoke my language.
“You have no choice,” Rema warned. “You’re famous, Lord Everwood. Being a suitor to a princess is technically possible, but it's only happened a few times in history. While margraves hold the land of dukes, dukes are tied to royalty by blood, and margraves are now. So being a suitor tells you how many eyes are on you. You can't hide in the limelight.
I'll remind you: I was trained to come here personally and relay this message. That should tell you everything you need to know."
I looked at the sky with a bitter smile. "Can I think about it?"
Rema shook her head. "The suitor's trial is about to begin," she explained. "If I give my recommendation, you'll have to leave immediately. You'll only have a week to decide.
Disclose your strength and become strong, or chase freedom and live weak forever—those are the options my father is giving you. Choose wisely."
'I'd rather have power and freedom,' I silently declared. 'No, I will have both.'
***
Rema left the next morning after saying she’d await my reply. The moment she was gone, I finished my studies and went into the forest with determination in my eyes.
As the sun lowered in the late afternoon, it cast an ethereal glow on the Crimsonwood Forest, making it come alive in a symphony of colors. The towering trees, adorned with bark and leaves of the deepest scarlet, seemed to breathe with pulsating energy as if whispering secrets to the wind.
"Hickory, Ash, Birch, Willow, Oak, Pine, Elm, Maple, Cherry, Cottonwood, Walnut—I'm not picky," I grumbled, looking through the trees with the Inspect skill.
[Eldertree]
[Emberpine]
[Stormbristle]
"I wish that more than half of the plants in this world were the same as Earth," I grumbled. "It'll take forever to burn random trees. I don't even have the time to burn a single tree before I need to return."
I was on a mission for tree ash, or more specifically, what was in tree ash—potassium hydroxide. Lye. When mixed with fat or vegetable oil, it turns into soap.
It was relatively easy to procure, but it wasn't in trees. Instead, it was created when certain trees burned. Therefore, I had to find trees that created lye and burn them before I could get it.
Unfortunately, I didn't have time to test which trees had the molecule I needed. My family wouldn't let their prized four-year-old spend twelve hours in the forest without setting up a search party, so I needed to make it count and not leave any traces of my power.
Walking deeper into the heart of the Crimson Wood Forest, the air became thick with the scent of moss and damp earth while a gentle mist clung to the ground. Shafts of golden light filtered through the dense canopy above, painting the forest floor in a patchwork of dappled shadows and illuminating delicate mushrooms that glowed like tiny lanterns.
Moving through the thicket, I came upon what I was looking for.
"Oak!" I exclaimed, running to the magnificent tree with gnarled roots and touching it. "I'm sorry, but I don't have time for sentimentality."
2nd tier chant—plant obliteration.
After closing my eyes, I thought of the command. 'Cellulose, Hemicellulose, Lignin, Starch, Chlorophyll,' I declared. 'Separate on contact.'
Most of the trees are created with cellulose. Therefore, removing it would cause the tree to dissolve. However, I wanted smooth precision without resistance.
As the tree dissolved, I ran my hand around it until it was unsteady, grabbed the hatchet I had on my belt, and gave it a good chop.
CRAaaaCK! BOOOM!
With a racing pulse, I ran behind the tree as it crashed through the forest. Without wasting time, I dismantled the tree with a combination of my hand to cut and the hatchet to create marks that implied that I cut it.
This make-it-or-break-it moment would allow me to negotiate for a barony, a small territory that I could run with full authority.
A barony was necessary for my goals. Why? This world was rooted in its ways, and change wasn't accepted, let alone the change I planned to make. What I was planning would shake the kingdom's foundation, and I couldn't do that in the limelight. However, if I became a baron, I could amass wealth in secret and prove the value of my inventions. By contrast, I couldn't do anything if I was living in the castle.
To negotiate, I wanted to show that my power wasn't just in magic but also in innovation, business, and production.
If I could do that, perhaps I could remain a suitor while working in a barony, allowing me access to magic training and the royal library and also work in secret.
CHOP!
After cutting oak branches and logs into various sizes, I built a rock circle and set up a wooden teepee for airflow. Then I picked up a large rock.
'Dolomite, magnesium carbonate, gypsum…' I thought, listing twenty compounds sequentially and watching them fall into separate piles. Then I went to the magnesium carbonate pile. 'Elemental magnesium. Separate.'
With a remarkable showcase of magic, magnesium separated from the carbonate without a blast furnace, leaving a shiny silver metal.
'Let's get this party started,' I grinned, grabbing a handful and sprinkling it over the fire. 'If there's one thing that magnesium is good for, it's being remarkably hot. 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit-level hot.'
After striking a flint against steel, a spark hit the magnesium and ignited in a white-hot light that's usually reserved for fireworks. The fire began raging instantly, allowing me to add sawdust I made piece by piece, turning it to ash almost immediately.
Three hours passed before I put my hand next to the first fire.
'Oxygen,' I thought. 'Separate to the maximum radius.'
The oxygen separated, leaving only nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other trace gases in the fire, snuffing it out. It was a convenient trick that didn't require me to be close to the fire, as I was always touching the air.
Once the fire was out, I pulled out two large sacks reserved for 100 pounds of potatoes and stuffed them with as much ash as possible. Lastly, I separated the charcoal and the remainder of the tree and mixed the remnants into the soil. By the time I left, it didn't look like I was ever there.
I blistered my hands, leaving signs of chopping wood for nothing, but precautions were vital—always.
***
After my maids helped me dress the next day, I ate, went through my sword training and various lessons, and went outside with Lyssa, a black-haired woman with blue eyes whom my dad assigned as a full-time helper.
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[https://i.postimg.cc/mkHZD876/Traxler-woman-with-black-hair-blue-eyes-dress-in-golden-ballroo-3574068a-2baf-454e-8606-36eae3c512cc.png]
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I needed help turning my ash into lye because I was too tiny to move a barrel or pour water into it. "Will you help me get a wine cask, Lyssa?" I asked.
"Why do you need a cask?" Lyssa asked, furrowing her brows.
"I want to make soap as a gift for everyone in case I leave," I replied. "To do that, I need lye, which comes from this tree's ash. A tutor talked about it briefly." That was true; I asked one of my tutors how it was made, so it wasn't strange I knew it.
I chose soap because it was a luxury item that would not only revolutionize modern sanitation if I mass-produced it, but it would also meet my gifting requirements. Moreover, it was easy to make with basic tools and already existed. That was important, as I had to prove that I made it without magic and that it wasn't witchcraft.
"Is that so?" Lyssa mused, studying my expressions with sharp blue eyes. She wasn't a fool; she knew I wasn't normal but rarely disclosed my secrets. I like her a lot. "Fine. I'll see where I can find one."
With a long sigh and a grumble about how I could do anything and choose to make soap like poor people, she went off to get the barrel and returned. I was waiting with multiple pails of distilled water and a massive sack of black ash.
"Where'd you get that?" Lyssa asked.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"I burned a tree in the woods," I replied nonchalantly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
With another sigh, Lyssa helped my little self dump the sack of oak ash into the barrel, followed by the water. "What are we doing?" she asked.
"It's called leaching," I replied. "The water will separate the lye from the ash, which we'll use to make soap later."
"I can't wait…." Lyssa replied with dead eyes.
After we closed the cask, we went to the kitchen, where I greeted all the cooks by name. After exchanging some pleasantries, a man with a gray beard gave me a strange expression.
"Yeah, I collected all the fat from the beef," he said, holding a huge tub of white fat that was butchered from cows while making steak. "But are you sure you want this stuff?"
"I'm sure, Mark," I replied. "Could I bribe you to help me boil and strain it? I need the white, creamy top layer after it cools. Also, the clear layer in the middle."
Tallow. Glycerin.
“I’ll do it without a bribe, of course,” Mark frowned. “But why?”
I explained that I was making soap and giving some to everyone who helped me. Mark's eyes lit up after that, as soap was a luxury item, and he could not afford it otherwise. So he eagerly agreed.
After explaining how to boil the fat and collect the two layers, I returned to the ash cask and stirred it, breaking apart the alkalines.
Naturally, I'd get pure lye and tallow with Molecular Separation, but I needed a grand demonstration—and I was killing it.
***
The next day, the process repeated. I went to my studies, honed my swordsmanship, and practiced pretentious living. When I finished for the day, I returned with Lyssa.
"That should be enough," I said, hiding my lack of caring. After all, I wouldn't be using it. "The impurities are at the bottom of the barrel. Now, all we need to do is collect the water, mix it with fat, and it'll make soap."
When the two mix, it creates a chemical reaction known as saponification, which turns fat into a solid surfactant, causing dirt and bacteria to slide off surfaces.
"That's really it?" Lyssa asked. "Burn wood, soak the ash, boil fat, and mix it together?"
"Yep! Though we're making luxury soap," I clarified. "Speaking of which, I'm going flower-picking with Thea this afternoon. Would you like to join?"
Her usually down-curved, unwavering lips curled into a smile. "You should never invite an adult to a date," she teased. "Even if she's your servant, it's good practice."
'Is this where I'm supposed to say, ewwwwww, cooties?' I pondered. 'No, everyone knows I'm an adult. Kinda. That'd be strange. I wish I could lie better.'
"I hate to disappoint you, but we're picking flowers for the soap," I said. "I'm just bringing the available maids along because it'll make them happy."
That's true. I needed help picking flowers, so why not give the task to people it'll make happy?
Lyssa's expression deadened. "You're an old man already," she frowned. "But I'll come along to ensure you're not a creepy old man with young maids."
“Thanks… I guess?” I sighed.
We left and collected five maids. Thea was my personal maid and servant. She was a beastkin with light teal hair, black ears, and fluffy white fur in her cat ears, punctuated by pastel pink nails and a bright smile. The young woman was very quirky, shy, and habitually looked down a lot.
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[https://i.postimg.cc/15jYkdQw/Thea-1.png]
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As for the reason that I chose her as my life-long servant—
"Thanks for coming to pick flowers with me," I said, rubbing her cat ears. The previously shy girl squealed in delight and purred slightly, losing all sense of reason.
—I loved her cat ears and that she let me pet them.
Not really. I chose her because she's a divine beastkin. I still don’t quite understand what that means, but I know it’s rare. That said, I’ve come to love petting these strange ears.
Four other maids wearing French maid outfits fluttered through the forest on the way to the Elysian Verdance, a grove in the Crimsonwood Forest famous for its rare flowers. There were countless benefits to being a noble.
“They’re so pretty!” Thea exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as we entered the area.
Stepping into the flower meadow was like stepping into a dreamscape. Tall stalks of sunflowers stood proudly, their bright faces turned towards the sun. Delicate wildflowers carpeted the ground, their petals delicately kissed by dewdrops that sparkled like diamonds. Bees and hummingbirds buzzed and flitted, drawn by the nectar-filled banquet spread before them."
“Calm down,” I chuckled. “We’re looking for five flowers. Do you remember what they are?”
“Ummm….” she hummed, nervous. “Luminary Lilies, Heartbeat Hibiscus, Dreamweaver Daisies, Solstice Sunflowers, and Radiant…. Rains?”
“Rainferns,” I replied, showing a drawing to the girls. “These flowers have mana in them, and they will make this soap feel and smell amazing. Can you find them for me?”
"Of course!" Thea replied, determination in her eyes. "I'll use my beast-taming magic to find all the flowers!" As the other girls ran into the forest, she sat in the grass, created a telepathic link with a bird, and used the bird's eyes to scour the area. "Found some!"
"No matter how often I see your beast taming skills, it still boggles my mind," I remarked. It truly was remarkable.
"I'm glad you think so," Thea said bashfully before pointing into the forest. "They're that way. Come on, master. Let's go!"
The cat girl ran into the forest with a bright smile, gushing over my compliment.
This is what I love about Thea. In my last life, simple pleasantries were discarded, and compliments were often scorned. However, a simple thanks to Thea makes her shine like the sun. It makes me feel... good. I hope that one day when I have regular emotions, I can genuinely smile back at her.
We spent a few hours picking the magical flowers before Lyssa served us a picnic. After some relaxation and letting the maids play, we returned home, where I started my work.
The first step to making luxury soap in the past wasn't mixing fat and lye. Instead, it was extracting the scent from flowers, so I was starting with that.
To extract the scent, I procured two spare windows and smeared tallow on them. Once there was a thick layer, I pressed petals into it, connected the two frames together, and surrounded it with putty to make it airtight. Over the next two days, I would replace the flowers until the fat smelled like flowers.
This process was known as enfleurage. It was time-consuming, but it's what’s available.
"With this, I officially have my entire cover story," I chuckled, returning to my room, where I hid an even larger sack of oak ash in the closet. Once I opened it, I thought of my command: 'potassium hydroxide: separate.'
The black and gray ash dissolved with a single thought, leaving nothing but impurities in one pile and crystalline lye in the other.
'This is way too easy,' I grinned. 'Onto the flowers.'
I pulled out a small pouch and reached inside. When my hand returned, I was holding dozens of flowers the size of pins. When they emerged, they grew in size until they were the size of normal flowers.
2nd-tier spell—Smell Swindle Sorcery.
'Let's experiment,' I thought, fetching a jar, cleaning it with my power, and lifting a Dreamweaver Daisy. 'You look like a daisy. Are you similar? Let's try: limonene, pinene, linalool, methyl salicylate, ethyl acetate, eugenol, vanillin, and benzaldehyde—separate.'
With a big grin, I saw oils pour out of the plant in a trickle, blasting my sense of smell with concentrated daisy. Of course, it was a trace amount. However, that small amount encompassed the entire smell of a daisy!
'Second up, extracting magical properties,' I gulped.
I knew very little about mana but knew there were three types. First, elemental mana, for creating elemental spells with earth, water, wind, and the like. The second is spirit mana, which manipulates emotions and hormones. Lastly, soul mana for creating persistent spells and reinforcing objects, making them stronger.
My power relies strictly on elemental mana. However, the plants I chose are likely the result of spirit mana. For example, this Dreamweaver Daisy can induce vivid, meaningful dreams. While it's used in tea, I'm curious if I can bring out the active compound to make soap. That would give nobles peaceful rest and a magical property nobles pay egregious sums of gold for.
The question is: how?
'Let's break apart everything else in a daisy and see if it releases essence,' I thought. 'Goodwill, become a fifth-tier magic spell.'
Imagine a rock. I'm removing everything in the rock and leaving only the Solstice-specific elements—things I don't know. Thus, I had to list everything.
7th-tier spell—Plant Perdition.
'Cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, pectin, starch, chlorophyll, beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, quercetin, kaempferol, apigenin, limonene, pinene, myrcene, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, ascorbic acid, tocopherol, calcium, potassium, magnesium, water, glucose, fructose, sucrose, fatty acids, anthocyanins, luteolin, apigenin, quercetin, coumaric acid, caffeic acid, essential oils—separate.'
It was a drag to chant, but after all the piles were separated—
Tink!
A silver prism reflecting light twinkled on its way down to my desk.
[Spirit Core (Hormonal)]
I blinked twice when I read the words. Spirit core? It didn't make sense but it told me something significant: the plant's magic was connected to a crystal! That meant I could extract them from plants—and put them in my soap!
In a flash, I seized all the daisies in my hand and chanted out the compounds.
Tink! Tink! Tink! Tink! Tink!
It began raining mana crystals while compounds separated, and the scent of the oils dripped into the jar.
Gold mine.
I immediately went into storage, brought out large jars, lined them on my desk, and spent four hours under the moonlight, silently practicing my magic to automatically distribute the different compounds in the jar. After all, each one of these compounds was a gold mine in its purest form!
Once I went to bed, I had a large jar of crystalline lye, essential oils, and scent compounds. Most importantly, I had four types of mana crystals: Light Crystal, Spirit Core [Empathic], Spirit Core [Hormonal], and Dark Core. It was sketchy that it didn't tell me what they contained, so I separated each by flower type.
It was hard to go to sleep after that.
The next morning, I went through my normal routine, trying to stay focused, before I ran back to my room with a scale, a bag of oatmeal, and a jug of water.
It was time to make soap.
Good tallow soap requires a 5% water and 30% lye-water concentration to the amount of tallow and glycerin you add. I mixed the ingredients together and gave the mixture time to go through saponification, slowly creating a solid bar of soap.
After the reaction was completed, I added scentless oatmeal to scrub the skin, make the soap frothy, and make the skin feel soft. Luxury. Lastly, I added a few drops of Heartbeat Hibiscus scent compounds, added the red dye from the petals, stirred it, put it into a cake pan on wax paper, and stuck a crystal in all the future bars.
Given my tools, I performed first-grade witchcraft to make this world's best soap. However, as a professional chemist, I spent most of my time twitching at the thought of not having standardized units of measurement aside from a shoddy scale!
I’ll need to make some soon. It’s a vital requirement for my mental health.
Still, a few hours later, I forgot my irritation, looking at the beautiful pink soap.
"Luxury Soap complete," I smiled. After cutting it and carving it to make it round and professional, it was time to give out gifts.
"I should probably start with my mother…." I groaned. "What a drag."
Don't get me wrong. I'm emotionally attached to my mom, and she is remarkably loving. It was just...
***
"OH MY GOD!" Scarlet squealed, looking at the beautiful, round, pink soap. "HONEY, COME QUICK!"
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Leon yelled at the top of his voice. "CALL THE GUARDS!"
'I knew this would happen,' I internally lamented.
Within only thirty seconds, I was surrounded by knights and my father as if I were an enemy general.
"What's... wrong?" Leon inquired.
"Look at what our genius son made me?!" Scarlet exclaimed, treating the murder parade as if it were only natural.
My father's eyes deadened until he looked closely. "Is this... soap?"
"Yes, father," I smiled. "Not just any soap, either. Try it out, mom."
My mom scampered into the bathroom and turned on a sink with our rudimentary plumbing. Once she lathered her hands, she screamed bloody murder, causing another uproar.
Scarlet Everwood could give Aphrodite a run for her money.
"I-It's amazing!" she said. "It foams and... oh my God, my skin is so soft!"
"That's because it's removing dead skin cells, and the glycerin in the soap is moisturizing it," I said. "Moreover..."
Scarlet turned to my father with a loving gaze he hadn't seen since their honeymoon. "Wow, I feel... amazing. Honey, you're looking... dashing."
My father furrowed his brows in suspicion. "Ryker Alexander Everwood," he said with a stern voice.
"It has magic in it," I said, awkwardly scratching my cheek. "This plant uses the Heartbeat Hibiscus, which is known for increasing emotional connection—"
My mom wrapped her arms around me and squeezed until I couldn't breathe. "Son...," I gasped.
Leo's eyes widened in shock. "How did you do that?" he asked. "I've never heard of this, and... I think that this could make our family a fortune."
"That's exactly what I was thinking," I smiled.
"See, honey?!" Scarlet declared. "Our son is making soap. Do demon lords make soap?"
"They do if they need to fund an army...," Leon groaned, feeling another argument coming on.
***
The next day, I delivered my soap to Lyssa, Mark, and the five maids who helped me before ordering gift boxes for the king, princess, and dukes.
Lastly, I had Lyssa extract the lye water and make soap with the flower tallow that I had pressed together. These were gifts for the normal nobles, as they were of lesser quality. However, relatively speaking, they were nothing short of witchcraft.
My father also ordered help for the production, allowing real artisans to craft and carve our family's and the kingdom's crest into all of them as a political move.
Once I was done, I got the ding that I was waiting for. I immediately closed my eyes and called the system window in my mind.
—
Congratulations on unlocking the third stage of Molecular Separation so soon. Wowza. You're making it really difficult for me to get you into that library and with those mages. Talk about playing hard to get. ;)
Moreover, that soap you made. I must say, it's pretty pathetic even by Earthian standards, but for some reason, I'm jealous. Give me one as a tribute with a prayer of your choice, and I just might give you something spi~cy~.
Muah, Aphrodite ♡
PS: You have more mana, improved healing, increased range, and an omnipotent tool. But who needs the last one when you already have one and a greater "range," if you know what I mean? ;)
—
"I don't know what you mean," I sighed. "And I also don't know if I want anything spicy from you. So I'll think about it because you haven't given me anything but great gifts."
That was true. I had miracle powers now, and that was thanks to that witch. So I guess she was alright. In theory. So I'd consider it.
—
Skills:
Molecular Separation
Description: Magic that separates and isolates molecules.
Usage: Silent cast by touching what you want to separate, internally declaring what you’re separating, and then thinking “separate.”
Stage: 3
Requirements for the next stage:
Unique usages: (121/1,000)
Rewards:
- Increased lifespan
- Increased mana capacity
- Slight emotional curing
- One omnipotent tool
-
Omnipotent Tool [Stage 1]
Description: Summon a tool of magic that morphs into rudimentary tools. It can be destroyed but will regenerate over time. The more damage, the longer the regeneration time.
Usage: Silent cast by calling Omnipotent Tool and thinking about what you're looking for.
Stage: 1
Requirements for the next stage:
Unique usages: (0/100)
Rewards:
- Use more complex compounds in the tool.
—
I blinked twice and then lifted my hand. 'Steel sword.' With the most delightful level of magic imaginable, a sword—rudimentary and boring looking as it was—materialized in my hand.
After looking at it and feeling the absurdly sharp blade that cut through paper with nothing but gravity bearing down on it, I cackled in amazement. "Now, THIS is what I'm talking about!"
Immediately after, I heard squealing in the hall and whispering to determine whether the girls in the hall should check on me, making my eyes glaze over. 'It seems that I have more eyes on me than before,' I thought, opening the door and seeing Thea and the other maids there.
"Is everything okay?" I asked.
They panicked and nodded in a craze.
"THANK YOU!" Thea screeched, her cat eyes drooping as she thrust a wooden carving of me into my hands. "We don't have much money, so we carved this for you. It's not much, but it's a thank you!"
I opened my mouth in amazement as I looked at the gift. It was the first real gift I got that wasn't a "cultural gift" for a birthday or Christmas. In effect, these people were coworkers—co-lifers—and they gave me something.
Something about me felt a deep emotion that wasn't bad but was overwhelming and slightly melancholic.
I hated it.
'I wish I never asked for emotions,' I internally sighed before smiling and accepting it. "I'll treasure this until I die," I declared, completely honest.
The maids jumped for joy, said a few awkward pleasantries, and then ran away.
I looked down at the doll. 'What a god awful interpretation of myself,' I internally chuckled. 'I love it.'
With that, I closed my door and prepared to negotiate with the kingdom. After all, I was more valuable than a simple political tool and a potential for strength and magic. I wanted to choose my own destiny, even if I was destined to marry a princess.